In Search of the Two L's
by PrincessJaded
Summary: Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. Mostly AU.
1. My Hallelujah Song

**A/n: 04/24/09**

**Hey everyone.** I know I said I'd wait till June but this is me being super impatient. I must stress that I will** NOT** be updating once a week like I'd hoped to do. Every two weeks, from now till June 20, there will be an update. Thanks.

The chapters are being beta read by _PY687_, who is a **wonderful** beta, so if you ever need one, check him out; And _Hayleywilliams_ for dramatic effect and to keep the story uh, the best way to put this is, readable. So I have an equal balance of _male_ and **female** perspective.

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** PrincessJaded does not own Digimon, nor does she own any recognizable names and/or brands.

Now I give you the **FIRST** chapter of... _In Search of the Two L's_.

**_

* * *

_**

_**Chapter 1**  
My Hallejulah Song_

_Look at me, I can't believe I've finally made it here  
Feeling like I'm where I belong, singing my hallelujah song  
__Hard to find, took some time, but I think that I'm might be hittin'  
On what's been missin' all along, singing my hallelujah song_

* * *

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

"_Hi!_" a female voice chirped. "_We are out at the moment. Do your thing at the beep. Thanks._"

**Beep.**

In the next moment, a frantically ecstatic feminine voice flooded the machine.

"_Hey guys! So I have wonderful news! You will never believe what happened to me! I can't tell you how excited I am about this! AH!!! He proposed! Can you believe it? I swear I still don't believe it!_

_Of course I said yes! I jumped up and down for a while. The people in the restaurant must think I was crazy._

_Umm…_

_So that's kinda the reason I'm calling. See I know we just got engaged but… don't get all upset about this either okay… the wedding is in two months! I know it's really sudden, but you know how I feel about him._

_Well, that being said, I expect you here ASAP! Woman, as my Maid of Honor, yes that honor goes to you, I expect your ass here, like now! Just kidding. The other girls are going to be bridesmaids. Isn't this just great?_

_And you Mister, you will be a groomsman. Izzy and TK have graciously accepted as well! After a little coaxing, that is._

_Seriously, though, you better get here soon. TK is coming home from college. That little punk was like, 'You're getting what? Who would want to marry you!' I'm so gonna kick his ass when I see him. Kari's coming home, too, with her new boyfriend. I'm still really sad that they broke up. I know it was a long time ago but still. Oh well, fingers crossed. Ya know, I was really considering telling Kari she couldn't bring her boy-toy to my wedding, but that would have been mean._

_Izzy's taking time off of work. You know how demanding the space program is. He told me they were very upset that he wouldn't be there for the next launch. I personally think it's him who is upset… but whatever._

_Joe we really don't have to worry about. I mean he works with his father. All the Kidos are invited so that shouldn't really be a problem. I just have to pry him away from his books. _

_Jun, well, she's obviously going to be there. You should have heard her scream my ear off when I called her. Gawd! I couldn't hear right out of that ear for hours._

_And before you get all snippy about why I called her before both you guys, I have a really good reason. Time difference! Ha! In your face! Apparently, I still can't get a hold of you people. Geez. _

_So… I'm still debating inviting my mom… I mean she _is_ my mother. You 're my best friends, what do you think?_

_There are no more excuses for not coming home missy. You're gonna have to face him sometime. I need you here. Please! I really miss you. Nothing's the same anymore. What are we going to do about this? It can't rule your life forever._

_Besides, if you don't show up, I will fly over there and drag all three of you here!_

_Well I think I've used up enough time on your answering machine. Call me when you get this. And I'm serious… you both better be here like at least within the next two weeks; well, you more than him!_

_I'm really happy and I wanna share this with you._

_Alrighty, bye! I love you guys!"_

Sighing in satisfaction, the woman snuggled close to her brunet fiancé and closed her eyes dreamily. She was going to have the best wedding ever. And her family would all be there to see it.

* * *

**Title: My Hallelujah Song** -_ Julianne Hough_

**Question time**... who's talking... whose voicemail was it... who's missing?

Thank yous for everyone who stuck with me through **HGFC**. I really appreciate it all. This is for everyone who reviewed. I love you all. Please review this time too! 10 reviews pretty please!!!

Love ya'll berry mucho,  
**Diane**


	2. Unintended

**A/n: 05/04/09**

**Hello everyone!** So I think I'm made ya'll sweat it out long enough. It's safe to say that you should **NEVER** assume things with me... you'll soon understand what I mean. :D Updates will come sporadically, like this one!

Beta'd by _PY687_ and _Hayleywilliams_. Aw, I love you two!

Review Replies:  
_neon765_ - Patience love! haha, jk. Thanks for the review. I hope I can live up to those expectations.  
_michi_ - AU means Alternate Universe. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks!

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** PrincessJaded does not own Digimon, nor does she own any recognizable names and/or brands.

Here we go, Chapter **2**, enjoy.

**_

* * *

_**

_**Chapter 2  
**Unintended_

_You could be my unintended  
Choice to live my life extended__  
You could be the one I'll always love  
__You should be the one I'll always love  
I'll be there as soon as I can  
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before_

* * *

"Where are you going?" a blue-black haired guy asked when he entered his dorm room, dressed only in a towel.

"God! Do you ever wear clothes?"

"I'm comfortable. So where you off to?"

"Home for a few weeks. It is summer and a friend of mine is getting married; I've been suckered into being a Groom's men, man, whatever they're called," nineteen-year-old Takeru Takaishi said as he stuffed garment after garment into his bulging suitcase.

"Sounds like fun," his roommate snickered.

TK snorted. "Oh yeah, loads. It's going to be fucking awkward."

"And why is that?"

"The girl who's getting married, her name is Sora. She's like the only chick my brother ever loved. She broke up with him right before they graduated high school. After that, she moved to Paris and they drifted apart," TK sighed. "And that's not the half of it. Considering it's Sora, _every one's_ coming home."

"Every one? Who is every one?"

TK smiled over his shoulder and pointed to a picture of nine people standing in an airport that was sitting beside TK's laptop. "Them."

"Oh."

"Yeah," TK shook his head, "_she's_ going to be there too."

"She- you mean your ex? What's her name? Keri?"

"Kari!" TK snapped.

"Sorry. Well hope you have a good time, man."

TK nodded. He didn't want to go through this alone. He couldn't watch her be happy, not with _him_. That was going to cause TK physical pain, both in trying to reel in his emotions and in trying to restrain himself from strangling his former friend. As far as TK was concerned, the day _he_ put the moves on Kari was the day that any friendship they had died.

Then a brilliant thought popped into TK's head and he smiled. No one said he had to go alone, besides he told Sora he might be bringing a friend. His new best friend and roomie did not miss the smile. "TK, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ken, what are you doing this summer? Is there any way I could interest you in coming to Odaiba with me?"

* * *

"Good night, Kimi."

"No sleep, Dayee!"

"Hey! Listen to your dad."

"Momma, it too erwee!"

The little girl's mother sighed and looked at her husband. "This is your fault."

"How!?"

"Don't 'how' me Kido!" Jun snapped. "Just put her to sleep, I'm exhausted!"

Her blue haired husband of two years sighed and forced his daughter to lie in her bed. "Goodnight, my princess."

"Night, night!" the three-year-old said sleepily. She laid her head on her purple pillow and closed her pale blue eyes.

He stood there and ran his fingers through her red-brown hair. Joe Kido stared down at the little girl until she fell into a deep sleep, her small chest gently rising and falling. He bent over the wooden railing of her crib-like bed and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, my Kimiko."

Joe stood up and turned on her Dora the Explorer nightlight then walked to the door of Kimi's bedroom and switched off the light. Leaving the door open behind him, he crossed the hall and walked into his own bedroom that he shared with his wife. "My mom wanted me to see if Kimi's free for lunch on Saturday afternoon."

Jun looked at him through her dresser mirror and shrugged. "I don't see why she wouldn't be. You could have told her yes."

"You know my mom, it's a courtesy thing with her," Joe said as he turned down the covers to their bed. "How were your classes?"

Jun gave him a pointed glare and he laughed. He vividly remembered the second year of his medical training. It was nerve wrecking and so much was expected of him. He was just glad that Jun now had the time actually to attend school.

Joe took off his pants, leaving him in only boxers and a t-shirt. He slipped into the sheets just as Jun switched off the light. She lay down beside him and cuddled into his warmth.

"Night, Joey. I love you," Jun murmured as she fell into a restful sleep.

Joe kissed her lips lightly and took off his glasses. He set them down on the bedside table and closed his eyes, thanking God for the wonderful gifts he'd given him, namely Jun and Kimiko Kido.

* * *

"Stop it!" Hikari Kamiya giggled as her boyfriend nuzzled her neck. "I'm serious. I'm trying to study and you are a distraction."

"It's summer vacation, what kind of a loser studies?" her brown haired boyfriend asked.

Kari pointed at herself with a smug smile. "This kind!"

"Fine, Kari." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall of her room.

They were sitting on her bed in her single dorm room. Kari cherished this sweet time they had together. There were no gimmicks or random outbursts. It was like the ADHOS (Attention Deficient Hyperactive "OH SHINNY") boy was tamed when they were secluded. He was just himself when they were together and that's how she liked it.

"So what are you studying anyway?" he inquired, trying to look over her shoulder.

"Ancient Civilizations of the World," Kari declared, holding up her book for him to see, "strong focus on Greco-Roman culture for Professor Hinotori."

"What fun," he muttered.

"Yeah, loads," Kari added sarcastically. "Oh, I have a request. Wanna be my date?"

He stared at her strangely. "I thought, you know, considering I'm your boyfriend and all, that I would always be your date. But sure, I guess. For what?"

"The wedding," Kari said simply.

"Who's?"

"Do you and your sister _ever_ talk? Davis, if you don't know you really are slow," she giggled, then leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "Let's go eat. I'm hungry."

"It's midnight," Davis stated.

Kari raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Your point being?"

Davis grinned toothily and kissed Kari's cheek, "This is why I love you."

Kari inwardly cringed at his words but took his hand regardless and left her room.

* * *

A redheaded, dark-eyed man pounded his head on his desk repeatedly. He really didn't want to miss this next launch. He had strong ties to it. Some of _his_ innovative technology was going into outer space. How inconsiderate was it that she wanted him to neglect his previous responsibilities? He may not be Joe but he sure as hell tried.

Koushiro Izumi rubbed his eyes irritably and shut down his computer. He stood up and stretched his tired spine. He looked through a glass window of his fifteenth floor office and laughed at his reflection. Izzy had finally been graced by the heavens around his twenty-first birthday, even though puberty hit him when he was thirteen. He'd grown an impressive four inches, now making him 5'9. He had also packed on a small amount of muscle. It was nothing to brag about but considering he was "the nerd" of his group, it was good.

"Finally leaving Mr. Izumi?" a feminine voice asked as Izzy walked out of his dark office.

Izzy turned to look down at his secretary, Rei Shumishi. She was fresh out of college and probably the same age as he was. Izzy didn't look too much into her personal history; that was human resources responsibility. But he had to admit the 5'7, black-haired, and brown-eyed Rei was very pretty. He'd seen her get hit on several times; she always graciously declined. Izzy just assumed she had a boyfriend.

He nodded at her and stifled a yawn. "Rei, you've been my secretary since I started working here; you can call me Izzy. What are you still doing here anyway? It's late."

Rei blushed lightly and tapped a piece of paper on her desk. "I had some work to catch up on." She jumped slightly and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry Mr. Izu-" Izzy glared at her. "Izzy, but I forgot to tell you that your friend called again to make sure you've requested time off for her wedding."

Izzy smiled wryly. "If she calls back again, tell her I said to stop being so damn pushy. Tell her she's turning into 'The Princess.'"

Rei gave him a strange look and Izzy clarified. "Another friend. She'll understand. Go home Rei, I'll see you on Monday."

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!"

A brunet man walked into his apartment and looked around awkwardly. His usual brightly lit home was dark and eerily silent. "Sweetheart?" he called into the darkness. His heartbeat accelerated and he suddenly panicked. "Hello?"

He walked through the long hallway toward their bedroom. A dim light was on inside the room, visible through the thin crack of the almost closed door. He could hear the exasperated voice of his fiancé and smiled warmly.

"Yes, uh huh. No, that's not what I ordered. Look Rika, if you can't get the orders right I'm going to fire you. It is a real threat. Leave her out of this!" Her stern tone changed to a more jovial one. "Just fix it please. Yeah, yeah, your job is still secure. Don't forget to call Simon about those swatches. Thanks. Love you too. Bye."

He opened the door just as she shut her cell phone and rubbed her temples.

"Long day, love?" he asked as he took off his jacket and tie.

"Ugh, yes. There is so much I have to do before the wedding. And then I left Rika in charge of the studio and it's like mass chaos is breaking out over there." She walked to him and embraced him tightly. "I need _her_ here."

"She's coming, don't worry." He kissed her forehead and brushed away a fallen strand of auburn hair. He kissed her cheek and then her lips. The kiss grew deeper and she sighed against his mouth. He laughed lightly and pulled away. "Can't wait till our honeymoon, Sora?"

Sora Takenouchi glared at her fiancé and placed her lips over his. "Shut up, Jeremy."

* * *

"You're drunk!" A blonde sneered.

"I prefer the term, _inebriated_."

"This is the fifth time you've done this to me!"

The man whom she was berating only smirked and pinned her against the wall of his apartment. "And?"

"And you're a jerk, you know that?" the blonde spat, pushing him away from her.

He merely laughed darkly. He took a seat on the couch and threw his feet on the coffee table before he actually looked at her. She was still standing by the doorway, angrily tapping her foot. What did she expect from him? Did this girl really expect him to take her seriously? Did she think that just because they'd gone out a few times that he was going to be different?

"I'm your girlfriend, you shouldn't treat me this way." She pouted and sighed dramatically.

He chuckled, "I'm sorry, but what did you just say you were?"

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm your girlfriend." He laughed, manically this time. "Why are you laughing?!" She demanded.

The man on the couch finally stopped laughing and stared at her, a smoldering heat boiled in the depths of his chocolate brown eyes. When he spoke, his tone was frightening. "Because you just said you were my girlfriend. Let me clarify some things for you, Chika. I'll speak slowly so you have time to grasp the words I'm about to say." The insult to her intelligence had her growling in anger but he pressed on, carefully enunciating every word. "You. Are. Not. My. Girlfriend. I. Do. Not. Have. Girlfriends. You stupid tramp, get the fuck out."

Chika struggled to find words harsh enough to return the insult, but none came to her. She had foolishly let herself believe that he cared about her. She'd heard the rumors that ran around Tokyo about the hotshot new lawyer; she just didn't think he was as heartless or vain as everyone said. She was sadly mistaken; everyone was right about Taichi Kamiya.

When she was gone, Tai walked over to the bar in the corner and poured himself a dark glass of whatever he had in store that day. He downed it all in one drink and then threw the glass across the room and into a wall, shattering it into tiny pieces.

His nerves had been on edge ever since Sora had called and demanded he come home for her sudden wedding. He thought her incredibly stupid to be marrying the American-born Jeremy Mitchell. Sure, Sora had known him for years but that was no excuse to get engaged one weekend and announce that you were getting married in a couple months. Was she fucking insane?

But that wasn't the real reason he was so tense and snippy. No, it was only the catalyst to his current mood. If Sora was getting married, there was only one person whom she would grant the prestigious title of "Maid of Honor," and that was her best friend of twelve years, Mimi Tachikawa.

Five years had been such a long time, and in those five years, few, if any, words were shared between Tai and Mimi. She never even came home. Not even for Jun and Joe's impromptu wedding…

The last pleasant memory he had of the brunette beauty was the day he left her bedroom when they were eighteen, a week before she left him for good.

He refused to let Mimi get the best of him now. He'd learned quite a few things about the now twenty-three-year-old heiress. Like the fact that she lived with her best friend in Manhattan, New York, that she graduated Suma Cum Laude from NYU with a major in Business Management/Finance and a minor in Creative Writing.

Yet one thing that upset Tai was that aside from the city of her residence and her academic record, the personal life of Mimi Tachikawa was a secret; that he knew for sure because he'd exhausted every resource he had trying to track it down.

* * *

"Uncle Matt!" Poke. No response.

"Uncle Matt!" Poke. Nothing.

"UNCLE MATT!!!" Poke… poke … poke, poke, poke.

"Yes Sayuri!" Twenty-three-year-old Yamato Ishida groaned as he lifted his blond head from his fluffy pillow. "What can I do for you?" he asked groggily.

"I'm hungry."

"You're hungry?" Matt asked, rubbing the sleep from his blue eyes. "Why don't you ask your mom to make you something?"

"Noooo. I can't do that silly, Uncle Matt. Momma is sleeping. I don't wanna bug her."

"So you decide to bug me?"

Matt looked at the little girl who so resembled his best friend. Her large eyes welled up with tears. "Sayuri doesn't bug Uncle Matt. Sayuri loves Uncle Matt." She started pouting and her lower lip began to tremble. "Uncle Matt doesn't love sayuri." She'd reached her breaking point and the tears flooded down her small heart shaped face.

Her cries carried over to the bedroom across the living room. The brunette who'd been sleeping in the queen-sized bed shot up. "Sayuri!" She rushed to the door and yanked it open. Hastily, she walked into her daughter's open bedroom only to find the bed empty. Annoyed, she went to the other bedroom in the loft.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe as she examined the scene in front of her. Matt was trying to calm the screaming child down by making stupid faces, saying he was sorry, and finally succeeding by pulling out a lollipop from a drawer in his bedside table.

"What did you do to my kid, Ishida?"

"Nothing, Meems. I swear," Matt said, hands raised in surrender. "The little monster woke me up."

"Sayuri is not a monster! Uncle Matt is a meanie!" Sayuri stuck her tongue out at Matt and jumped off the bed. She went into her mother's open arms and smiled. "Morning, Momma."

"Good morning, baby girl. You hungry?"

The little girl nodded her brunette head vigorously. "Alright, well let's see what we have in the kitchen. Matt, you gonna eat with us?" Mimi asked over her shoulder.

"Sure, why not, I'm already up. Thanks, Sayuri!" Matt shouted back from his room.

Sayuri smiled a bright smile, waving her little hand at him. Mimi laughed and rested her daughter on her hip. "Alright baby, let's go see what we're gonna make."

"Pancakes!" Sayuri cheered.

"Pancakes it is," Mimi said, walking to kitchen.

* * *

**Title: Unintended** -_ Muse_

**Question time!** Does anybody remember Jeremy? (check out chapter 24: Graduation of HGFC.) Is anyone upset about all this? OH JUST WAIT! IT GETS BETTER!!! ;D

**Side note:** ADHOS came from LoneWolfVampire13. Thanks, sweetie!

Alrightly lovies. We reeled in 21 reviews for the first chapter. (Hayley, I won! :P) And I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed. Ya'll are the bestest!

**Thank yous:** _Hayleywilliams, Aster Selene, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, LoneWolfVampire13, Pranksta-4-lyf, amaramichelle, PY687, neon765, alienstarship, Cara Miro, SugarSpiral, AnimeLightPrincess, aprilsdiamond, Hood Star, Orpheus Telos, michi, SparkleMe-x, my-little star, guavawolf, Jaeda star, and Light-of-Hope-07!_

Please review. Gracias muchas.  
Loves and huggles,  
**Diane**

(**5/20/09 - EDIT:** I changed all of the "YURI" to "SAYURI" because I didn't like how much it reminded me of the name girlxgirl pairings. Thanks for Py for pointing it out.)


	3. Simple Kind of Life

**A/n: 05/18/09**

**HEY!**

I took a while right? Yeah, I've been waiting on my beta who has mysterious disappeared. I think he's busy, let's hope. If not... I have a back up... I think. But Hayleywilliams did help out with the ideas.

Thanks for all the reviews! You are great!  
**Replies -  
**_Michi -_ Thank you, babe. I'm glad you enjoy my crazy mind!  
_LoveCherrySnow -_ I was sad too. I cried a little. Especially when I read what everyone thought of my little fic. Thank you. I hope you can enjoy this one too.  
_AnimeLightPrincess -_ Mimi's kid is Sayuri! :D Thanks.  
_~~inori -_ I hope that meant you liked it! :)  
_Jamy -_ Oh! I missed you! I got scared that you weren't reading! But alas, you're back! Yay! Thanks for the review!

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** PrincessJaded does not own Digimon.

* * *

**_Chapter 3_**  
_Simple Kind of Life_

_Now all the simple things are simply  
Too complicated for my life  
How'd I get so faithful to my freedom?  
A selfish kind of life  
When all I ever wanted was the simple things  
A simple kind of life_

* * *

Mimi flipped a pancake before going to the refrigerator to take out a carton of milk. She poured some in a Sippy cup and placed it on the table before her waiting daughter.

Matt stumbled out of his bedroom and took a seat next to the little girl. Sayuri patted his arm in a sympathetic manner and smiled. "I'm sorry for waking you up, Uncle Matt. I won't do it ever again. 'Kay?"

Despite Matt's lack of sleep and typical early morning grouchiness, the little girl's smile and squeaky, high-pitched voice brushed away all traces of his foul mood.

Matt's life had changed considerably since he left Japan. When he'd first moved to New York, he lived in the housing provided by _Revolutionary Riot_. It was cramped and stuffy, with far too many "fresh new talents" under one roof.

Apparently, the label was just starting up, and it was looking for breakout artists to give them the edge they were looking for. They'd recruited twenty guys, including himself, who were in bands like him, all from different countries. The label had plucked out the ones they'd seen as the moneymakers and shipped them in.

They claimed to like his music but forced him to record cheesy pop hits and remixed versions of previous songs. Matt in particular remembered recording Leavin' by Jessie McCartney, only for the label to tell him that they couldn't use it because they hadn't cleared the property rights.

Revolutionary Riot was a joke. Matt only lasted with them for two months before he quit. There was a messy spat involving lawyers but with the help of his father's best friend, Susumu Kamiya, he was freed of the contract.

His mother had tried to convince him to come home, but by then, due to his father's other best friend, Keisuke Tachikawa, he'd already moved into a loft in Manhattan with Mimi, and had started taking some classes at NYU.

It was after one very stressful year that he signed to a competent label and started recording his own songs.

Mimi placed a mug of freshly made coffee on the counter for him and he took it greedily. "You're a God-send, Meems."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Conceited. So where've you been for the past few days?" he asked as she served him a plate of scrambled eggs. "I called here and no one answered. I got back last night and you weren't here either."

"Yeah… well, I was with Ryo."

"Ryo? I thought he was in California," Matt commented, now shoveling the eggs into his mouth. "You used too much salt, by the way."

She glared him and he smiled. "We broke up."

Matt choked on his food and Sayuri patted his back. "Uncle Matt!" she chided. "You're supposed to chew and _then_ swallow, silly."

Mimi bit her lip to hold back her giggles and Matt rolled his eyes.

It was incredible how much this little person reflected her parentage. She was blunt and jovial to the point where, even if she were to offend you, you'd probably smile because she was just that adorable.

Mimi took in the view of her little family. Her daughter was now four, and there wasn't a day that went by when Mimi wasn't amazed at how much she'd grown or how unbelievable she was. Sayuri was the unexpected gift Mimi never felt she deserved. Meanwhile, Matt was the friend she couldn't live without. He was the father figure her daughter needed.

"Momma!" Sayuri's voice cut though Mimi's reverie, and she looked down at her daughter. "The machine! It's blinking! Like this!" She made a fist and relaxed her fingers rapidly, mimicking the flashing number on the telephone.

Mimi followed her daughter's pointing finger to the answering machine. She pressed the play button and heard her own voice greet the caller and then… _Sora?_ She was unexpectedly ecstatic and sounding way too much like Mimi.

When Sora came to the point of her call, Mimi gasped, and Matt dropped his fork; it clattered loudly against the glass plate. They exchanged a bewildered look and stared at the machine like it was psychotic.

"The pancake's burning!" Sayuri yelled, but neither of the adults in the room paid attention.

* * *

"I'm on vacation for the next three months, thank the Lord. So when are we going?" Matt asked Mimi over his coffee cup.

She was cutting up Sayuri's heart-shaped pancakes into little pieces. Mimi looked up at him and sighed. "Soon, because obviously, I don't really have much of a choice. I guess I could avoid him…"

"No, you really can't. He'll probably be at the wedding too." Matt took in Mimi's scowl and laughed. "Mimi, some secrets can't be kept forever."

"Sayuri, go get my cell phone off my bed so we can call Auntie Sora back." The tiny girl happily obeyed her mother's wishes and ran off. Mimi turned on Matt, butter knife poised to kill. "Can we _not_ talk about that?"

"It's enviable. That's all I'm saying," Matt added.

Mimi groaned. As much as she didn't want to deal with this, she had to… for Sora.

Sayuri came back soon and Mimi instructed her to go play, but the four-year-old pouted in retaliation. Mimi wasn't going to fall for it; she merely pointed in the direction of the living room while she picked out a number in her iPhone and called her best friend.

Sayuri turned her sad eyes and pouty lips to her godfather. He inwardly groaned and handed her a candy without Mimi seeing. With the sweet hidden from her mother's view, Sayuri skipped away to watch Yo Gabba Gabba.

"'lo?"

"Rise and shine, Bridezilla!"

"Mimi?"

"No, Peyton Sawyer, it's Brooke Davis. Yes, it's Mimi. Oh, and Matt's here too."

"Hey guys," Sora mumbled through her sleep. "I take it you got the message."

"Uh huh. So… how big is the ring?" Mimi demanded.

Matt shook his and finished his breakfast while the two girls gossiped away. No matter how old they got, he doubted they'd ever change. Not that he really wanted them to, he loved them both just the way they were. He just wished that things were different.

While Mimi and Sora sorted through the details of when Mimi, her daughter, and Matt would be arriving, the former Prom Queen kept her trained eyes on the best friend sitting before her. He was unusually quiet. Not that Matt was talkative to begin with; it was just that he hadn't even looked up at her. It was as if he was intentionally trying not to hear the conversation without actually leaving the room.

And there was a slight glint of sadness in his eyes when he looked up at her briefly.

Mimi understood his pain.

Perhaps she was the only one who really did.

She lived it every day, in the form of emails from Yuuko Kamiya.

* * *

TK grinned at the guy in the seat beside him. Ken's fingers were digging into the armrests and he was slightly turning green.

"Hey bro, you alright?" TK questioned warily.

Ken gave a stiff nod, but refused to give a verbal answer. When TK had practically begged him to journey back home with him, Ken hadn't really figured the distance. He'd assumed it'd be a quick ten-mile train ride, nothing too far. Nothing involving being airborne.

But as it turned out, he was sadly mistaken. They went to school in northern Japan, in the Aomori prefecture. Odaiba was a good distance away, almost completely across the country.

Though to Ken, it made sense; TK never particularly indulged in his home life, and neither did Ken. Perhaps that was why they'd both chosen to roam so far from home to go to school without actually leaving the country, like many did.

Another thing that made sense to Ken was that TK avoided talking about his ex: Kari. He'd spoken of her on occasion, but those conversations were rare, and almost always involved alcohol consumption. Ken had learned that Kari was only a few months older than TK and that the duo had been best friends since they were eight. When they turned thirteen they realized that the feelings they'd shared had grown. And by the time they were both fifteen, they'd become each other's first time and first love.

Ken reflected on that. He'd never had any real commitments through his younger teen years, and his relationships were limited to his family – in particular, his only living relative. His mother, who was once kind and gentle, was now in a mental institute because she went insane after his father and brother were killed. Ken didn't want to reflect on that painful memory.

Three years ago, his life was forever scarred… all because his father decided to take a family vacation in England.

"Ken!" TK shook him hard and stared at him with worried eyes. "We're here."

* * *

"I honestly didn't know," Davis defended as he and Kari drove to Odaiba.

"Okay, no one has you on trial about it. Would you calm down already, you're giving me a headache."

A look of hurt and anger crossed Davis' face. She'd been moody lately, easily annoyed and bitchy. He didn't like her when she was like this. He preferred the easygoing, lovable, and considerate Kari who'd never tell him that he got on her nerves, even if it were otherwise.

Kari reclined in her seat and pulled the hood of her sweater over her face. She was growing increasingly perturbed by his presence, his touch, even his voice. But she couldn't understand why; though she did notice that it had escalated after Sora's phone call. It was like everything he did bugged her.

She did feel bad since she knew he wasn't intentionally making himself a nuisance; that's just who he was. She'd accepted it and even adored it at times.

"I'm taking a nap; wake me up when we're at my parents'," Kari announced, slouching deep into the seat of Davis' car.

"Okay. I love you," Davis reminded, hoping it would ease her crabbiness.

Her only response was, "Uh huh."

* * *

"Hey Dad," Joe acknowledge his father as the two men walked past one another.

They were at work and Joe was already regretting getting out of bed. Flu season had decided to hit early and people were coming in complaining of fevers and nausea. As much as he wanted to, Joe denied himself the joy of telling them that they were making him nauseous.

"Son," Tadao Kido greeted his youngest son. "How is Jun doing with school?"

"She's doing well. Almost done with this semester, but she's taking the summer courses as well."

"That's good. And her daughter?"

Joe suppressed a growl and forced a smile on his lips as a patient walked by. "Our daughter is doing fine, thank you."

"Well, that's nice." Tadao nodded. "I have patients. Yours is in room five."

Joe watched his father walk away, crestfallen. It didn't matter how much he did, it didn't matter how much he cared or how much he wished, his father had seen him as nothing but a disappointment since his senior year, and Joe felt that it would never change. He didn't graduate top of his class in high school, and he missed the top spot again when he graduated college. So far he was running a close second in final month of med-training.

But most of all, it was his father's disposition when speaking of Joe's daughter that upset him. It made his blood boil and it hurt him incredibly.

Joe's foul mood worsened when he stepped into room five. He looked up from his notes and forced a smile on his lips. "Hello, Taro. And how are you doing today?"

The little boy who sat on the examination table, happily kicking his feet against the metal, slightly denting it, threw a box of plastic gloves at Joe. He laughed when Joe didn't move and was hit.

His mother glared at the young doctor and said nothing her to unmannered son.

* * *

"Open the door, Tai!"

The pounding and the yelling of the man standing outside Tai's apartment didn't rouse the young lawyer from the comforts of his king-sized bed or the luxury of a soundproof bedroom.

Not until the door to his bedroom was thrown open and his thick blankets were ripped off his body did Tai acknowledge the presence of a foreign entity in his home.

He rolled over and felt his forehead crease and eyebrows furrow as the curtains were drawn back.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you have one minute to get your ass out of my apartment before I break your neck."

"Really?"

"Oh God, really? Are you fucking serious? You drove all the way over here?" Tai questioned, tucking his head into three pillows. He was hoping that if he didn't see, she wouldn't actually be there.

"I'll do it, I swear I will."

"Go home!" Tai groaned.

He heard retreating footsteps and sighed in relief; maybe she had gone home. Suddenly his body arched and he hissed as ice-cold water rolled down his back.

"Tai, get your ass out of bed right now!"

Tai sat up angrily and attempted to stare down his best friend. "Sora, how the fuck did you get in here?"

Sora, dressed in a dark wash True Religion jeans, a white top from her label, and Fendi heels, walked over to the window and leaned against the sill. "Whit, charm, and utter brilliance."

Tai grumbled something Sora didn't quite hear and ran his hand over his face. He looked down at the sheet pooled around his waist and laughed. "I get it; you wanted to see me naked." Sora's playful smile died and she glared at him. "It is. You bribed the manager to give you the spare just so you could see me naked. Sora, babe, I love you, but that's _not_ gonna happen."

"Shut up, Tai!" Sora spat. She walked to the door but turned to meet his gaze before she left. "For your information, I was in town to pick up some things for the wedding and I wanted to have lunch with my best friend, something that we've been too busy to do lately. You didn't answer the door and I was worried. Izzy told me what you've been doing! Forgive me for caring. Oh, and here's a heads-up; she's on her way here already. She'll be here tonight at ten."

With that said Sora walked to the first door and slammed it shut on her way out.

Tai pulled himself out of bed and into the shower. He let the water run cold as he mulled over his thoughts. He'd had his fifth sleepless night in a row. He'd barely gotten any rest. The sun was already coming up when he finally forced his eyes to close.

It was work; it was his father; it was his acquaintances. He hadn't taken on any new friends. He didn't really trust anyone anymore. The truth was, he was a bitter mess. He occupied himself with women, but just for a good time. They meant nothing. He wouldn't let them mean anything.

The last time that happened, the heart he broke was too precious. But not only that. His own heart had suffered. And he doubted that it ever healed.

Mimi was coming home tonight.

That meant so much.

He could tell her. He could simply tell her that he was wrong.

But there was that voice in the back of his head that nagged at him. What the hell would he do if she'd moved on? In his search for her, he found nothing about her social life, nothing about her romantic life… Mimi could be married or in a serious relationship for all he knew.

No, he refused to accept that. Even if she were, she was involved with someone, that would never be good enough for her.

And then, as if he'd known it all along, he knew how he'd find out everything that had plagued him…

_Matt._

* * *

**Title: Simple Kind of Life** - _No Doubt_

**Questions!!!** Mostly just... what do you think!?

Beta'd by PY687. (**5/20/09**)

**Thank yous:** _SugarSpiral, my-little star, guavawolf, Hayleywilliams, alienstarship, Hood Star, SparkleMe-x, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, Pied Piper, LoneWolfVampire13, aprilsdiamond, Jaeda star, Pranksta-4-lyf, Michi, Cara Miro, kouhaixsempai, LoveCherrySnow, AnimeLightPrincess, Aster Selene, ~~inori, Jamy, Gizmo Bunny, :), Lilamedusa, and Orpheus Telos._

Thank you, I love you. Review!  
**Diane**


	4. Follow Through

**A/n: 06/02/09**

**Hola!** :D

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and alerts and favorites! :)  
**Replies-  
**_~~inori_ - Glad you loved it! Enjoy.  
_Jamy_ - Thanks! You have an acct now right? Quicker responses! :D

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** PrincessJaded does not own Digimon.

* * *

_**Chapter 4  
**Follow Through_

_These reeling __emotions__ they just keep me alive  
They keep me in tune  
Oh, look what __I'm__ holding here in my fire  
This is for you  
Am I too obvious to preach it  
You're so hypnotic on my heart_

* * *

"Honey, you're home!" Yuuko trilled happily, wrapping her daughter in a fierce hug. "I've missed you so much!"

"Me too, Mom," Kari giggled as she hugged her mother back. "Where's Dad?"

"Work."

"I see. Well I'm gonna get settled in."

"Okay, I'll call you when dinner's ready. Turnip casserole, your favorite."

Kari forced a smile before walking into her room, taking care to shut the door and lock it before finally throwing her suitcase on her neatly made bed. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and unzipped the suitcase.

Her head was swimming with the memories that this room was full of. She been caught smoking in here by her dad when she was seventeen. Tai found out that she was dating TK in here and he nearly lost it. TK kissed her in here. TK made love to her in here. TK told her she was "the one" in here.

Kari yanked pieces of clothing out of her luggage until she found a box hidden in one of her shoes. The wooden box was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand and as she lifted the box out, she smiled. It was her first real smile in two weeks.

She opened it to find a small key lying in the satin lined jewelry box. Kari clutched it to her chest as she ducked down and crawled under her bed, searching for and finding the loose floor board she knew was somewhere there. She found the crack in the wood and lifted it, revealing a small space with a lockbox sitting in the dust. She carried the box out from beneath the bed and sat against the wall. She slid the tiny key into the lock. It clicked when she turned it and popped open.

Kari eyes watered when she saw the item at the very top of the stuffed box. It was a picture - a picture of a brunette girl holding a cap to her head and being spun in a circle by a blond boy who was kissing her cheek. They were on a soccer field, both laughing and wearing black and dark green gowns. Kari flipped the picture over and read the inscription on the back, written in her own handwriting.

_Graduation 2011  
TK and Kari  
Forever_

* * *

"Hey baby, we're home!" Jun called into her apartment. She walked to Kimi's room and laid the sleeping child in her bed. "Joe! Hello!"

She walked through their apartment and even out to the balcony where Joe liked to sit and relax. However, he wasn't there. She checked her cell phone and the answering machine, only to find that he hadn't called or left any messages.

That was unlike him, but Jun didn't really pay it any mind. He was an adult. The most responsible adult she knew; in fact, even more so than her father. She turned on her computer and checked her email. Mostly spam, some emails from her friends in England, and one from Mimi. Jun clicked that one excitedly. She was on pins and needles anxiously waiting for her friend and her "niece" to come home.

The email was short and simple, just telling Jun that she was going to be there and then the details of her arrival. Attached was a picture of Sayuri, dressed in a frayed cowgirl skirt, a modernized geisha top with long bell sleeves, and legwarmers. Her long brown hair was pulled into two pony tails with large ball-ties holding them up. Loose pieces hung down the front of her face and Jun was instantly reminded of a picture she'd seen of Mimi when Joe and the others were younger, except that Sayuri's pleasantly surprised expression reminded her of someone else.

Jun saved the picture and turned the computer off before walking to the kitchen to start dinner. She was in the process of making some citrus chicken when the door bell rang. Looking at the clock, she knew it was too late for it to be either her or Joe's parents to make an impromptu visit. Izzy wasn't due in town for a few days. It definitely wasn't Mimi or Matt. It was too early. Joe had a key. Sora did too. There was no way in hell Tai would drag his ass here.

As the door bell rang for the third time, Kimi ran out of her room and to the door. She pulled it open before Jun could yell at her not too. And when Jun rounded the corner, ready to scold her daughter for opening the door for strangers, her daughter shouted, "UNCLE DAVIS!"

"Hey monkey, where's your mom?"

"Davis?" Jun asked hesitantly, trying to cover up her surprise as she spoke . "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Geez, Jun, I've been gone for months now and you sound like you don't want to see me. Oh, I'm staying with you for a while." Davis leaned casually against the doorframe, as though he was just popping by for a normal visit. "Hope you don't mind. Joe said it was cool."

* * *

_I can do this. I can do this. It's for Sora. This is for Sora. I can do this._

She kept her eyes closed and breathed deeply. This was it. There were twenty minutes from arrival as indicated by the pilot. She was strategically plotting every way possible of keeping Sayuri away from quite a few people. It wasn't her being selfish. It was her being cautious.

Sayuri, in the hands of someone else, could spell disaster to more life than one.

On the one hand, she was relieved to finally be going home. She dearly missed Sora and Jun. Nothing had been the same since she had split from her two best friends. And there was deep guilt within Mimi about missing the wedding of Jun Motomiya and Joe Kido. Even worse, Kimiko was her goddaughter and she rarely saw her.

She had tried to lessen her guilt by sending lavish gifts but, as Sora had so eloquently put it, Mimi couldn't buy people's forgiveness for not being where she should be. Still, Jun and Joe were more sympathetic because they understood and accepted the circumstances.

So coming home was relieving her conscience. Mimi hated to think of it like that, but it was the truth. She was being selfish… again.

And then, there was that part of her that thought this was the stupidest thing she could have done. Coming here could jeopardize all her happiness. She had been leading a comfortable life in New York for many years now. She wrote small pieces for fashion magazines. She was steadily learning the ropes at the company, with the help of Ryo. Her father's company cushioned her hunger for clothes and other amenities. It would be hers sooner or later but for now she had her dear, sweet cousin posing as the Tachikawa heir. Mimi gratefully exchanged one worry for another and thought about the stress running Tachikawa Corp. had on her elder cousin.

Takuya Kanbara was Keisuke's sister, Ayame's son. His father died when he was young and he and his mother moved to New York. Takuya was three years older than Mimi and had graduated from Cornell. It was safe to say he was fully capable of working for Keisuke.

But it was after Mimi had Sayuri that the problems arose.

An eighteen-year-old single mother did not sit well with the Board of Directors. They thought it demonstrated Mimi's irresponsibility and lack of self control. Mimi was determined to show all the jerks who worked for her father that she had a mind that was fine tuned for business. She made a proposition which involved her cousin. The deal was that Takuya, armed with a stellar resume, would take control of the company as the Senior Vice President, a title that was reserved for Mimi.

The contract was made and Takuya took the position. The credit for that ingenious idea went to Keisuke instead of Mimi. Despite that fact, she didn't demand acknowledgement because she and Takuya had a deal of their own.

"_All passengers, please fasten your seat belts as we are about to begin our descent. We will be landing at Tokyo International Airport. Thank you for flying with United Airlines."_

Mimi checked that Sayuri was buckled in before tending to her own. She looked over at Matt as he fought with his belt and laughed before fixing his like she had her daughter's. He smiled gratefully and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Mi, you ready for this?"

It was like déjà vu; he had asked her that when she left those years ago, and it seemed only fitting that he asked her them again when they were going back. She smiled weakly and nodded.

The landing was smoother than she had anticipated. Soon, passengers were gathering their carry-ons and moving toward the exits.

"Sayuri," Mimi called, getting her daughters attention and handing over her favorite pair of Gucci sunglasses. "Put these on, but if you break them… I'm raiding your piggy bank. Okay?"

Sayuri nodded happily and slipped on the dark brown shades. She was rarely allowed to wear Mimi's expensive accessories no matter how much she pouted, cried, and begged. Mimi pulled the hood of Sayuri's sweater over her pig-tailed locks to cover her head.

Matt watched on as his friend meticulously hid her daughter's identity. He wasn't shocked. It was his idea; he just thought she was over reacting. It wasn't like _he_ was going to show up at the airport. He probably didn't even know they were coming. The plane was almost empty now.

"Shall we?" Matt asked, arms outstretched to Sayuri.

Mimi fidgeted. Her knuckles were turning white as she balled her fists in the hem of her airy Dior sweater. She put on her Versace sunglasses and nodded slightly. Matt picked Sayuri up into his arms and she giggled happily, throwing her arms and his neck and squeezing tightly.

They walked off the plane, through the narrow hallway and into the airport. Mimi groaned. Of course this wasn't going to be easy. She had just gotten off a plane with the Japanese rock star, Yamato Ishida. And walking by his side, she probably looked like his super-model girlfriend.

…Or, and this one would be their favorite when the read though the latest e-rag magazine, _"Rock star Matt Ishida arrived in Tokyo with his new wife and their young daughter."_

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode," TK recited grandly, throwing his bag on the floor and himself onto the cushions of the soft couch. "God, I missed this place. Make yourself at home, bro."

Ken walked over and sat across from TK's lazy form. "So where are your parents?"

"Don't know. The Bahamas? Spain? Cairo? New Zealand? Who knows… they disappear all the time. 'Work' they call it. I call it getting the fuck away. So it's just me and you. Bachelor pad for the summer." TK's huge grin and wink made Ken laugh. "What?"

Ken sighed and shook his head. "You haven't been here in a year, your parents haven't come to visit, and you're being so nonchalant about them not being here. Don't you miss them at all?"

TK thought about it. The truth was no, he didn't. He lived on his alone a lot after Matt moved to New York. And even before that, Matt was always with his friends, and his parents were always gone. After they got remarried, they were like the lovebirds they weren't before. It took a messy divorce, permanent psychological damage on their children, a name change, and an apocalypse to get Natsuko and Hiroaki to admit they loved each other enough to actually be committed to one another.

TK had gotten the messed up edge of that sword - his parents had neglected to change his name back. In the eyes of family, he was an Ishida. In the eyes of the government, he was a Takaishi. The little oddball of the family, Takeru Takaishi.

It pissed him off. They pissed him off. "No, I don't."

TK looked around the apartment he'd lived in for a good chuck of his life and groaned. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to think of the fact that the bad memories outweighed the good.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. There's a spare key on in the fish bowl by the TV. My car keys should be in there too. Feel free. Mi casa, es su casa."

"I'm amazed," Ken awed.

"Why?"

"You were hammered almost all of Spring Break. I can't believe you remember more than 'más cerveza.'"

TK smiled and flipped him off before walking out of the apartment. He needed to see something… more like someone.

* * *

He was early. Only one person knew he was here already.

Izzy parked his Camero in a familiar space and groaned. He kind of wished he'd stayed home a few more days. He enjoyed living far away from his parents. His father couldn't try to bond and his mother couldn't hover.

Living in America had been great. He was finally free to be himself with other people who were like him. Others with stellar IQs and rapid thinking minds. People who sympathized with his love of technology and the endless possibilities that would come of advancing them. He even met up with a kid who actually taught lectures there. A fascinating person in Izzy's opinion, his name was Willis Jones.

And the thing that interested Izzy the most about him was Willis' theory about another world. A world created solely from digital information. Izzy had craved so much to discuss the reality of such a place but he'd made a pact with his friends that they never speak about those days to anyone… ever again.

Izzy sighed, knowing he couldn't prolong it anymore, and got out of his car. He opened his trunk and examined the few suitcases he'd brought. Only two were actually filled with clothes. The third was his laptop and its many accessories.

"It's about time."

Izzy was hunched over the open trunk when he smiled. "I'm sorry?"

"I've been waiting for an hour."

"Ya' know, if someone were standing out here and heard you talking… I don't think anyone would doubt that we were secret lovers and that this was the start of a quarrel."

"Shut up, Izzy. I'm a happily married husband and father."

"Yes, remind me of my loveless life, Joe. You're a real pal."

Joe walked over and shook Izzy's hand. "Missed you, man. Kimi was really excited when we told her you were coming. So let's go tell your mom 'hi,' or else she'll kill me for taking you away before she's seen you. After that, you're coming to dinner at our place. Jun's in for a surprise."

"Sounds like a plan. I missed both of them. I bought Kimi a new toy. I got one for Say too, she is coming right?"Izzy asked uncertainly. He had after all purchased two bedazzled mini-laptops for his nieces.

"From what I know, yes."

"Damn," Izzy groaned. "This is gonna be an interesting two months."

"Like you have no idea," Joe added. "Let's go. I can't deprive Yoshie the pleasure of saying you don't feed yourself right."

* * *

Sora walked into her studio to find Rika lounging on a couch, iPod blasting music louder than Sora thought possible. It amazed her that Rika was only a year younger than her because her sister acted like a fifteen-year-old.

Rika was supposed to be doing inventory, filing orders, organizing the studio, and setting up appointments. Sora really wondered why she put up with Rika's ways. Blood might link them as sisters, but it didn't mean Sora had to deal with her. Threatening to fire her sister was a daily occurrence. And every time she told Rika that she didn't mean it, even though she vowed that the next time would be the last time. Of course it never was, as Sora was too kind for her own good.

_IKEbana_ had been Sora's life for the past year and a half. She'd done pretty well for herself. Living in France had been an excellent opportunity. She studied at the Paris Fashion Institute, earning herself valuable knowledge. She decided that while she could design dresses, she didn't want to be a one-trick pony. So she expanded.

Her line was very diverse and though she did have an extremely exclusive children's line, her focus remained on the modern eighteen to thirty year old women. It was tasteful yet playful with delicate color splashes.

"Rika!" Sora called, thoroughly annoyed now. She had so much on her plate as it was. Rika wasn't making it any better. "Get your lazy ass up now!" When the younger redhead made no attempt to move, Sora kicked her.

"What the fuck!?" Rika yelled indignantly.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Oh hey, Sora. I didn't…" Rika looked at the clock. "I didn't know you were coming in today. You weren't supposed to come today."

"It's my studio. I can come and go as I please. Damn it, someone could have come in here and stolen everything and I doubt you would have even noticed." She massaged her temples and laid her portfolio on her desk. "I can't do this. I really can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" Rika asked, turning off her iPod and devoting her full attention to her formerly long-lost, albeit unknown, sister.

"YOU!" Sora snapped. "You don't take anything seriously and I really need you to right now. But I understand that you're just irresponsible and to put my business in your hands, even temporarily, is disastrous! You're fired! And this time I really mean it!"

Rika stared at Sora, cold amethyst eyes meeting fiery brown. "So that's it?"

"Looks that way doesn't it," Sora shot back venomously. "I can't handle you anymore!"

"Finally! What a relief. Seriously, Sor, I love you and all, but I hate working here." Rika stood up and stretched. "So I'm gonna leave now. Bye."

Sora stood there with her mouth agape, and her eyes blinking wildly. She'd just lost her personal assistant and she was in the middle of a wedding/work crisis. "Fuck!" she cursed in a sharp whisper.

* * *

"Hey, Matt! Bro, it feels like I haven't talked to you in ages! How you been? So uh… are you coming home for Sora's wedding? Can you believe it? That's some shit, Sora's getting married. I always thought she'd marry you…" Tai bite his lip and smacked himself in the forehead. "Forget I said that. So you know, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a few drinks when you get here. We'll pick up Izzy and Joe and it'll be like old times. Maybe catch up a little… I just had a few uh… questions. Call me back. Oh yeah, and this is Tai!"

He felt like an idiot. That was the single most moronic voicemail he'd ever left. And then like a mumbling dumbass he almost forgot to say who he was, though he was sure that Matt would be able to recognize his voice. They weren't best friends of the years for nothing. And then, to top it all off, it was obvious that there was something he wanted - and it wasn't just to hang out.

He didn't care really, not then anyway. At the moment, he was more occupied.

Sora had refused to offer him any additional information on Mimi's arrival. So he walked through the airport mindlessly. He didn't want her to see him so he skillfully hid himself from view. Disguised in jeans, a light black coat, and Carrera sunglasses, Tai felt stupid, but figured at the very least he looked good. But even so, who wore sunglasses at night?

It was getting late. It was nearly ten thirty. She could not have gotten here yet. He'd been here for two hours already. He would have seen her. He was sure of that. If everyone could see them now, they'd really have a reason to call him pathetic. This was borderline stalking. To him, it was curiosity, and it was eating at him. He had to know. He had to be sure.

He stopped in front of a small coffee stand and ordered himself a drink. The makeshift walls were littered with group pictures, as if someone had candidly taken them.

"Admiring my collection?" the man working behind the counter asked. He handed Tai his drink and pointed to a few. "I like to take pictures of passengers. Some of the best moments in life are reunions. It's a beautiful sight sometimes. Then there are the sadder moments, where people are departing. But they smile for one another. Like this one." The man pointed out a picture as Tai sipped his five shot espresso coffee. He nearly spit it out.

The picture was of seven teenagers, standing in a circle, holding hands and hugging. Their heads were bowed like they were having a secret conversation. Two redheads, two brunettes, two blonds, and a head of blue hair.

"Kids going off to college, I think. This was one of the first pictures I took. I'd just bought the stand. Apparently that guy," he pointed to a blond head, "is that singer. What's his name? Ishida? Matt Ishida I think. Or at least that's what the girls around here tell me around."

"I'll give you $500 for it."

Photo tucked securely into the inside pocket of his coat, Tai walked toward the nearest information booth and asked when the flight from JFK would be arriving. The young woman behind the desk smiled coyly at him and hastily brought up the flight schedule.

"It's just arrived and passengers are departing as we speak," she reported. "Terminal 5, Gate 3."

"Thank you," Tai drawled and the girl smiled. He lifted his sunglasses and winked at her before walking away.

His brisk walk turned into a sprint. He didn't understand his excitement. But he had to know the truth. He had to see her and see what she'd become.

Tai was so lost in the hope of seeing her that he didn't notice the crowd of people pass him. He didn't see the brunette woman and blond man surrounded by reporters.

* * *

Kari tried to keep down her mother's dish but it was proving difficult. She faked not being hungry, saying that Davis had fed her quite nicely before they arrived. Her mother, either realizing Kari didn't want to eat or believed the lie, released her daughter from her grasp and told her to take a sweater as she went out for a walk.

She hadn't even gotten to the ground floor when the tears stung the back of her closed eye lids. It was aggravating. Why did she feel like this? Why did Odaiba have this affect on her?!

The image of a golden haired, sapphire eyed boy flashed in her mind. She pushed it away and brought another face to the forefront of her mind. A tanned, brown eyed, round cheeked, maroon haired boy. This one was less boyish yet sillier.

She loved Davis. She assured herself that much. And of course she'd always love TK. There was no doubt about that in her mind. But she'd made her decision. So why the hell did her conscience choose now to bite her in the ass?

The elevator doors opened and Kari stepped off the lift. She walked toward the doors and out onto the open street. She breathed in the slightly salty air and sighed. She'd just forget about TK. She had to, for her own sanity.

"Kari?"

Kari looked up, startled. She cursed her luck and forced a huge smile on her face, even though her mind was screaming at her to turn around and ignore him. But when their eyes connected, an explicable yet familiar wave of contentment washed over her and she called his name out breathlessly, "TK."

* * *

**Title: Follow Through** -_ Gavin DeGraw_

Beta'd by **Potgenie**. Py has yet again disappeared on me. I'll safely assume he's busy so oh well. Thanks to my Singaporean bestie!

**Thank yous:** _LoneWolfVampire13, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, Hood Star, Hayleywilliams, guavawolf, Aster Selene, aprilsdiamond, kouhaixsempai, GizmoBunny, ~~inori, Pied Piper, Cara Miro, my-little starr, Jaeda star, fairytaled, SugarSpiral, pranksta-4-lyf, Jamy, Odetoblue, taiora and sandstar, _and _Oo-Violetmoon-oO._

I know I'm dragging the story, and I'm sorry. But on the plus side, everyone's in Odaiba now. So the run-ins are only moments away. :)

**Oh oh oh!**  
If you haven't already, check out the drawing that _Jaeda star_ did for me on DeviantArt (http://pixie-tenshi(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Sayuri-123313405) the Sayuri in the picture Jun received was based on that! :D

Thanks. Please review!  
**Diane**


	5. Screaming Infidelities

**A/N: 06/19/09**

**OMGeezy!!!** Ladies and Gentle_men_ (because I'm positive I have two guy readers! lol) tomorrow is my **20th Birthday**! And this, my lovies, is my present to all of you! No more bull-shitting, we're getting deep into the story now! Things are going to make so much sense that it'll be painful! LOL!

Thanks for the reviews! Like sweetness for my eyes! The favorites and alerts are fantasmical as well!

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**DIS to the CLAIMER: **PrincessJaded doesn't own Digimon. Though that'd be an **AWESOME** birthday present. Imagine if I could do LOCKDOWN in anime! O_O

* * *

_**Chapter 5  
**Screaming Infidelities_

_I'm cuddling close  
To blankets and sheets  
But you're not alone, and you're not discreet  
Make sure I know who's taking you home  
I'm reading your note over again  
There's not a word that I comprehend  
Except when you signed it  
"I will love you always and forever."_

* * *

Jun woke up early on Saturday morning, remembering that she had two unexpected house guests. She rolled over and set her brown eyes on her sleeping husband. Joe was the reason she was so irritated. He was never one to be spontaneous so she couldn't understand what would tempt him to be so now.

Inviting her brother over to stay with them was a shock; she received an even bigger one when he came home for work late _and_ with her dear best friend, Izzy. Not that she minded, it just meant that she'd need to do a bit more shopping and had to figure out how to comfortably accommodate two people in their three bedroom apartment.

She had doubted that Izzy would feel safe in a room with Davis, for Davis was known to have some odd nighttime tendencies, snoring being the least of them. So her "beloved" brother was sent to sofa-city and Izzy was comfortably situated in the Joe's small office which doubled as a guest bedroom.

The sniffling sound and rustling sheets told her that Kimiko was waking up but she resisted the urge to drag her body out of bed. She'd stayed up well after her usual bedtime to have a fun chat with Izzy and Joe, and now it felt like her body was telling her to just lay back and ignore the quiet sobs her daughter was emitting.

"MOMMY!"

With the outburst already made, Jun sat up quickly and threw the blankets back. Her eyes glared at Joe and his lips pulled into a twisted smile. "Hurry up, _Mommy_."

"How is it possible that I love you and despise you at the same time?"

"Mommy! Where are you?"

Joe sat up lazily and kissed her lips. "Good morning to you too, Junnie." She shoved him away and he reclined back, ready to slip back to sleep.

Jun muttered her idle threats under her breath and replaced her glare with a bright smile to sooth away her daughter's bad dream. She took the child out of her bed and sat her on her lap in a rocking chair that Jun's parents had given them. Kimi locked her arms around Jun's neck and cried into her neck as Jun rubbed circles on her pajama clad back.

"Daddy?" Kimi asked softly.

Jun was jolted for a second. And she pushed an offending thought out of her mind. "Daddy is asleep."

* * *

Kari sat up woozily, holding a hand to her throbbing head. She couldn't remember where she was and that freighted her. She didn't get drunk anymore, she hardly partied at all. She hadn't gotten so wasted that she passed out since… since the night of graduation.

She remembered that day like it was yesterday. They'd graduated, TK took her to dinner after the ceremony, gave her a golden claddagh ring, and then they went to the after party. The guys from the basketball team dragged him away to play beer pong and she found herself gravitating toward Davis and Yolei who were dancing.

TK drank a little too much and Kari had decided it was best that he leave early, even if she was having fun. But he didn't let her. He told her to stay, to have fun. Yolei, who had to work in the morning, offered to take him home. TK accepted it graciously but only after asking Davis to keep an eye on Kari.

Davis agreed and TK left.

Kari danced with Davis for an hour; frequently they'd stop and get more drinks. She didn't know how many she'd had and she was beginning to feel nauseous when Davis told her he was taking her home. He was just as drunk as she was but slightly more coherent. After that, she remembered waking up, clothes-less in bed with a very naked Davis.

She tried to forget it happened, she lied to everyone and herself, even TK and that killed her. The promise ring on her left hand felt like it weighed a ton, and every time she lied to him, it got heavier. Finally, before they started school, she cracked. She told TK all that she could remember.

TK broke up with her on the spot. He seen Davis once and gave him the beating of a lifetime, and then transferred from Tokyo University to Aomori.

The perfect couple, voted so by their class, was no more.

He didn't talk to her at all since then. They'd only met up once, at Christmas, and he barely acknowledged her presence, nor did he pay much attention to her new boyfriend, Davis.

The sound of laughter coming from the right side of her bed made Kari's head whip around. The smirk on TK's face was so smug that she wanted to slap it off his face.

"Sleep good?" TK chuckled. "Hope so. You're parent's left for the day, by the way. I gotta go, bye Kari."

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Kamiya. You're in early, and my, don't you look dashing."

"Cut the pleasantries Hida, we both know you don't like me. And quite frankly, I'm not a fan of yours either!"

"Yeah, well… I'm stuck with you for another year. Until then, I have to pretend. Plus, it's Saturday, you're paying me extra to be here."

"I don't pay you shit. The company does. Go get my coffee and the Iwozo case file from archives. I ordered them three days ago," Tai demanded of his assistant.

Cody Hida nodded glumly and took off for the elevator. Tai glared at the kid's retreating back from behind his sunglasses, the same ones he'd been wearing the night before. As a matter of fact, he was wearing the same outfit from the night.

Like a fool he'd waited at the airport, waiting for any sign of them. It was agitating that he either missed her arrival, which he doubted, or that she didn't come at all.

He walked to his desk and pulled a stick of deodorant out from the drawer along with a tooth brush and tooth paste. He walked into the restroom which connected his office with another associates. He quickly washed up and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were sunken in, the result of stress and withdrawal. His cheeks were slightly sallow and his expression was angry and confused.

"Mr. Kamiya, I have your coffee," Cody called from Tai's office. The aforementioned man walked out of the restroom and settled into his leather seat. He rubbed his eyes as Cody placed a rather large cup of coffee on the desk accompanied by two aspirins and a glass of water. Tai nodded gratefully. "Here are the files and I got the paper just in case you want to read it. Nothing important, just a bunch of junk about some guy… Matt Ishida."

Tai snatched the paper out of Cody's hand and pointed a finger toward the office doors, a clear sign that he wanted his assistant to be gone. When the intern had left, the brunet man opened the news print, taking in the full effect of the headline and accompanying picture.

He would never be able to explain the pure hate that pumped through his veins as he recognized the "_brunette beauty_" hiding behind the large sunglasses.

He nearly yanked his desk phone off the cradle and dialed an all too familiar number.

"Yeah, it's me."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with us? I mean you're more than welcome to, you know that," Mimi implored as she and Matt sat together in the living room of her hotel suite.

"No, I'm gonna go see my parents. I didn't tell them I was coming. I want to surprise them. And TK should be home too!"

"Aw, I haven't seen Teeks in a while. I miss the little monster."

"He's not so little anymore. I think he's taller than me," Matt admitted.

"No," Mimi denied. "He'll always be my little monster."

Matt laughed at her comment and nodded. "You're right. But technically Sayuri would be your _little monster_. Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah, Japan's new to her. She stayed up a little late just staring out the window. I tried to remind her that it was almost like New York but she won't believe me," Mimi yawned and covered her mouth. She was still a little tired from staying up till Sayuri decided to sleep.

"Well, I guess I better get going. I wanna catch my dad before he heads to the station," Matt said after checking the time on the clock. He leaned over and pecked Mimi's cheek. "By the way, have you seen the paper, _wifey_?"

"Oh god, already?!" Mimi dragged a tired hand through her hair. "So we're married now?"

"Uh huh. Well I'm off, _Mrs. Ishida_," Matt said playfully.

"Go!" Mimi demanded pointing at the door. "Call me when you get settled. We need to go see Sora, and Jun, Kimi and Joe!"

Matt slid on his Dior aviator glasses and a leather jacket. "Is that what I think it is?" Mimi asked in amazement.

"I dug it out of my closet. Still fits," Matt answered with a wink. "I'm gonna go pick up my car too!"

Matt left and Mimi found herself in front of her suitcase, pulling out different pieces of clothing and finally finding her small, fitted jacket- _Destined LMT_, still gleaming across the back, but shoved in the bag beside that jacket was a stuffed animal, stuffed dinosaur to be exact.

"How cute! Mommy can I have it?" Sayuri's hopeful voice made Mimi jump. She turned to find the little girl sitting up in the king-sized bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She blinked twice and crawled over to the end of the bed where Mimi was holding the plushie. Her daughter's large, yearning, chocolate eyes bore into her and she handed the dinosaur over. Sayuri pinched the dinosaur's snout then cradled it against her body. "What's his name, Momma?"

"Agu," Mimi whispered.

* * *

Sora sat near the window of the small café next door to her studio. She was currently pouring over swatches, new assistant applications, and place card styles. This would be so much easier if Jeremy helped, she was sure of that. But as he so eloquently put it, there "wedding would go to hell" if he helped.

She couldn't deny that it was completely false. Jeremy had no style; she practically had to reinvent him. To top that off, he didn't have the time. He was one of the directors of operation in the Tokyo branch of Tachikawa Corp. He oversaw negotiations and new projects, he was a busy guy. Sora understood that. Still she thought that planning this wedding was something they could do together, sort of a bonding experience. Sora wanted him to have a say because it _was_ his wedding too.

He declined helping by telling her that anything that made her happy would make him happy as well.

Sora flicked through the swatches she'd brought along to determine her bridesmaids' dresses. She decided she would make the dresses herself, she didn't really trust anyone. Making her own dress was a no brainer; she already had the perfect style in mind. Her top choices for the dresses were scarlet, jade, and sapphire. She was debating which color would go well with Mimi, Jun, Kari, and Rika.

Sora scribbled notes about each girl and color in her "Wedding Book," a notebook that Yuuko had given her to help her plan. She deduced that scarlet would work for everyone but Rika and Jun. Greens were obviously Mimi's color but again, Rika would look like a plant. Rika was ruining all her plans!

"You know, no one said they have to be the same color. We both know that Mimi and Jun's personalities are too crazy to be uniform."

Sora froze in mid-scribble, her hand shook slightly. She knew he was coming, but it was strange to see him after so long. She dropped the pen and jumped into his open arms.

"You came." Sora melted into his arms and found that she was feeling better than she had in weeks.

"Of course I did, Sora. I'd do anything for you." Matt bit his lip, cursing his inability to hold the meaning of his words to himself.

They had taken seats on the lush couches in Sora's studios and Matt was admiring Sora's designs.

"So where are you guys staying? Mimi didn't tell me."

"Oh," Matt growled. "Well Mimi offered to let me stay at the hotel with her and Say, but I decided to spend time with my family. It turns out my family isn't even here."

Sora laughed. "You didn't know your parents went away for the month? Even I knew that."

"Lucky you," he drawled in response. "My brother wasn't even home. His friend was. I kicked him in the gut thinking he was TK. Turns out my brother already claimed dibs on our home. The hotel is booked and I don't wanna throw celebrity status around to get a room. That's not why I'm here. I came to be with my friend and family, ya know?" Sora nodded. Matt sighed dejectedly. "So I'm homeless."

"Nope. You came here because I asked you too. You're staying with me!"

Internally, she was kicking herself. She really just said that. She had truly just told her ex-boyfriend, ex-love of her world, ex-she'd jump in front of a bullet for, that he could stay in the same place she and her fiancé slept and avidly practiced pre-marital things! There was a pang of guilt when she thought of what Jeremy would say. She doubted that he'd be thrilled. He didn't particularly like her friends. Still, she was just happy to her have her friend, because that's what Matt was – a friend, who was staying with her.

* * *

"So listen to this!" Mimi gushed as she and Sayuri walked through Aqua City. Sayuri happily lapped at a lollipop and tried relentlessly to break out of Mimi's grasp. "Our favorite Bride-to-be invited our favorite blond rock star to stay with her."

"Shut up!" Jun's response was instantaneous and Mimi shook her head. "She did? What did Jeremy say?"

"I don't know. She texted me. Apparently she and Matt are at her studio, she reeled him into helping her with the wedding plans."

"Isn't that our job?"

"I guess, and I'm sorta doing it, my job is shopping! I'm buying bachelorette party supplies and a little wedding night gift for Sora."

"Oh how I miss those shopping spree days," Jun lamented.

Mimi looked down at Sayuri and smiled. She hadn't had much time to have a social life or shop when Sayuri was younger. Online ordering became her best friend. That and Sora's constant supply of sample clothing. _IKEbana_ was Mimi's go to favorite. Almost every one of her outfits consisted of an original Sora-made garment, even it was lingerie.

"Alright babe, I'm going into AMEX mode. So we're meeting at the park in two, right?" Mimi asked, checking her thin Rolex to be sure of the time.

"Uh huh. I gotta drop off Joe's lunch and I'll meet you after."

"Aw, you two are so cute!"

"Shut it!" Jun retorted only to dissolve into playful laughter "Yeah, we are, aren't we!?"

"Goodbye, Mrs. Kido."

"Later, _Mrs. Ishida_."

"That's not funny."

"Oh, yes it is! And Mi?"

"What?" Mimi snapped in mock annoyance.

"Make sure you buy Sora something edible!"

Mimi laughed and ended the call. She stuffed her phone into her black Louis Vuitton Surya bag and pulled the bag higher on her shoulder before squeezing Sayuri's hand. "Ready to spend some of Grandpa's money?" She dazzled her daughter with her American Express Black Card. "Because I am!"

* * *

Anger radiated through every bone in Kari's body as she drove her mother's car down the surprisingly empty streets. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tight that it almost hurt but she over-looked the pain. She wanted to scream, she wanted to kick puppies, she wanted to run someone over – herself.

It wasn't really TK that she was upset with, well it was, but mostly she hated herself. Tears brimmed to the edges of her eyes, dotting her eyelashes with tiny droplets. She refused to cry anymore. After TK had left she curled into a ball and cried for an hour. Then decided a shower would help, but found more tears under the steady beat of steamy water.

Was it revenge? Was that why he did it? To get back at her and Davis?

She never thought TK could be that cruel. It was downright evil. That wasn't her TK.

_Her TK?_

No, he wasn't hers. He hadn't been for quite some time and that was her fault. She was her own enemy in that situation. Kari was selfish and uncaring that night. But for TK to become _that_, it was heartbreaking. The smile that he gave her almost broken her in half. It cut into her heart, telling her that it was what she deserved.

There meeting had been so welcomed. They went for a bite to eat, TK feeling sorry for her to be subjected to Yuuko Kamiya's notorious cooking. Drinks were bought, a few shots mixed between daiquiris and beers. She foolishly told him that she missed him.

There was one moment when she thought he asked her how she lived with herself sometimes, but his boyish smile covered it up. That was the last consistent thought she had. Everything else was too fuzzy to make out.

It hurt. She had unintentionally hurt someone she loved… again. No matter how much she tired, she fucked up time and time again. Davis didn't deserve this. He really didn't.

"Damn you, TK," Kari hissed between her teeth as she made her way toward Godiva, dead set on easing her pain through chocolate.

She stood peering into the glass, anxiously biting her lip at her current situation. She didn't notice the little girl who'd stood on her tippy-toes trying to look at the candy. The little girl poked her gently to get her attention.

"Oh, hello there," Kari chirped, instantly feeling her sorrow and guilt lift as her eyes connected with the girl's. "Do you need something, honey?"

"I can't see," the brunette child admitted, pointing at the chocolate behind the glass.

"Well, sweetie, where's your mommy?"

"Shopping."

"Your mommy left you while she went shopping?" Kari asked, horrified.

"No, silly. I ran away. Mommy's gonna be mad at Say." The pout the little girl delivered melted Kari's heart but there was something that seemed so amazingly familiar about it, about her.

"Well, let's go find your mommy." Kari bought the child a chocolate and set out to look for her mother. The little girl, who said her name was Sayuri, pointed Kari in the direction of the store she'd left her mother in.

"She's this tall, with wavy brown hair in two a pony tail, she has brown eyes! She was wearing a denim skirt and a purple hoodie, with converses that had purple laces with stars!" a frantic brunette woman cried to a security guard. "Her name is Sayuri and she's four!" The woman dropped her face into her hands and sobbed.

Kari quickened her pace and tapped the security guard's shoulder. "I found this little girl in Godiva."

The woman's head lifted and she yanked the little girl into her arms. "Sayuri Takara Kamiya don't you ever do that to me again!"

Mimi lifted her head to thank the woman who'd returned her daughter safely. Her gasp was loud enough to make Sayuri lift her teary eyes from Mimi's hair.

"Momma, this is Kari. She bought me a chocolate."

"K-K-Kari?" Mimi stuttered.

"Did you just say Kamiya?" Kari asked. Her eyes widened with distress and then clear recognition. "Ohmigod."

* * *

Jun sat on a park bench watching Kimi climb up the slide, squeal as she slid down, and then repeat the process. Either Mimi was late or she was early. She really wasn't sure, nor did she care. She just felt off. Something didn't settle well in her stomach and she nervously glanced around.

She looked down at her phone to make sure that Mimi hadn't called. There was no missed alerts and she was about to put the phone away when she caught the date.

_July 17, 2015_

She bit her lip and stifled a sorrowful sigh. Jun now knew the reason for her restlessness.

It was _his_ three year anniversary.

"Jun? Jun Motomiya, is that you?"

Jun looked up to stare into a young man's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she found that rational thought had left her.

"Wow, Jun it is you. How've you been? You left so soon after everything happened. I never got to find out what happened to you. Is Kimiko here with you?"

Jun started and felt the beat of her heart accelerate to a painful speed. She recoiled at his questions and stared at Kimi who had decided it was the appropriate time to come back to her mother. "Mommy?"

The man marveled at the similarities between mother and daughter. "Kimiko, look at you, you're so big. You look just like your mom."

"Who are you?" Kimi asked, her features riddled with confusion for she had never seen this man in her life.

The man kneeled down beside her and smiled. "My name is Ken. I'm your uncle."

* * *

**Title:** **Screaming Infidelities** - _Dashboard Confessional_

No beta this time. Py is busy finishing school, good luck to him! I didn't even bother asking for a beta. I'm kinda beyond caring at this point. There might be a few mistakes, if I can live with them, I'm sure you can too. LOL.

**Thank yous!:** _Orpheus Telos, fairytaled, Aster Selene, my-little starr, LoneWolfVampire, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, Potgenie, Hayleywilliams, taiora and sandstar, Cara Miro, guavawolf, aprilsdiamond, Oo-Violetmoon-oO, Light-of-Hope-07, amaramichelle, ~~inori, Jelotto, GizmoBunny, pranksta-4-lyf, LoveIt123, CHAN LEE, and Cluuunie._

I haven't done **adverts** in a while now have I? I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU CHECK THESE OUT IF YOU LIKE **MICHI**, _SORATO_, & TAKARI!  
**I'll Be There For You** - _Amethyst-Love_  
**Love Story** and **Bad Boys Uncut** - _ThatsWhatSheSaid07_/_Blondie121147  
_**UnderAGE** - Cara Miro

Oh yeah and check out **When the Director Yells Cut**, my latest one-shot! :D

To anyone who isn't loving that this is **not** a sunshine and daisies story, don't read. I'm not forcing you to. I mean come on! This is a **DRAMA**! The happy ending comes at the END! Or does it? ;) I'm just saying, don't say you're not happy that the story isn't happy! Happy isn't even a genre! haha.

Review please. The 100th review gets a surprise! :D

Thanks! Love you,  
**Diane**


	6. Heavy Cross

**A/n: 08/25/09**

**Two months.** There are no excuses and all I can say to my loyal, wonderful readers is I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy this sixth installment of Two L's. For everyone who left hints to update in other stories, or PM'd me asking for a little something, or IM'd me to make sure I wasn't slacking off... Thank you SO much. I know I took a long time but you were all inspiration.

We hit a new **record** last chapter for the HGFC/ISTLS storyline. **32 reviews**. I can't say thank you enough, but I'm gonna try to get my shit together and give you a good story.

**Thanks** for all the birthday wishes last chapter too! And _special-super-you're-freakin-awesome-this-chapter-is-for-you_ thanks to **Orpheus Telos** who told me Happy Birthday in JAPANESE!

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** _PrincessJaded_ does not own Digimon.

* * *

**_Chapter 6_  
**_Heavy Cross_

_We can play it safe or play it cool  
Follow the leader or make up the rules  
Whatever you want, the choice is yours  
So choose  
I checked you  
If it's already been done, undo it  
It takes two  
It's up to me and you to prove it_

* * *

It wasn't real. _She_ wasn't real; Kari refused to believe what she was seeing with her eyes and what she'd heard with her own ears. It was either some elaborate hoax or… _no_, it had to be a joke. Someone was trying was taking a crude joke way too far. That had to be it. But even as she mulled over the facts and tried to convince herself that it was all a lie, the truth stared her in the face. The small child with wavy dark brown hair and large chocolate brown eyes set in a heart-shaped face, the pale skin, and the pouty lips that stared up at her, it could not be. _There was no possible way. _

"Sayuri Takara Kamiya?" Kari repeated, shaking her head in disbelief and trying to focus her scrambled thoughts.

The little girl bit her lip and turned to look at Mimi, tugging at Mimi's left hand with hung at her side. Her mother in turn stared at Kari in too much shock to react.

"Mimi," Kari called shakily.

"I have to go, thank you for finding my daughter," Mimi said briskly, standing and taking Sayuri by the hand. "Goodbye, Kari."

The question was burning on the tip of Kari's tongue but she couldn't force it out soon enough, Mimi had already turned away and taken a few steps. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"

Mimi turned to face the younger woman, her eyes pleading, begging for Kari to drop the subject but the former youngest Kamiya refused to back down. She was normally passive but she knew when it was time to fight, and this was something she was definitely going to fight. Kari needed to know. "Is she…?"

"Kari, I have nothing to say to you."Mimi looked around anxiously; a crowd of people had gathered around them, because a good cat-fight was always entertaining.

"Why not?" Kari shot back, taking quick steps and stopping right in front of Mimi. She looked down at Sayuri, the chocolate orbs she knew all too well stared back at her and she sighed, realization dawning. "She's _his_."

"No!" Mimi snapped. Her anxiety and reservation replaced by anger. "She's _mine_!"

"Mimi, you can't be serious!"

"NO!" Mimi yelled. Her tears were back but now they were tears of fury not sadness. "Just shut up, Kari! You don't get to say anything."

"There are a few people who are entitled to -"

"Entitled!?" Mimi screamed.

"Momma," Sayuri called fretfully. She'd never seen her mother this angry. She didn't like it, it frightened her.

Mimi looked down at her daughter and then back up at Kari. She breathed deeply and lowered her voice. "I get it, okay. You want answers. You won't get them from me. And if you're so damn desperate, go talk to your mother. But so help me, Kari… if you open your mouth to _someone_, you will pay."

She picked up Sayuri, the child buried her face in her mother's hair and clung to her tightly. Sayuri knew her disappearance had been the cause a nasty dispute between the nice lady who had bought her a candy and her mother. "Momma, I'm sorry…"

Mimi carried her daughter out of the shopping center and got into a taxi. She needed to remind herself that coming here was the right idea because in all honestly, she'd been in Odaiba for less than twenty-four house and she was already trying to convince herself not to drive to the airport and go home.

* * *

Her eyebrows rose at Ken's statement and she looked at her mother, clearly trying to understand. Kimiko giggled before speaking. "You're not my uncle."

"I'm your father's brother," Ken clarified.

"No," Kimiko laughed. "Daddy's brothers are Uncle Shin and Uncle Shuu."

Ken's brow creased as he looked up at Jun. "I don't understand," he admitted.

Jun averted her gaze and swallowed hard. What this the reason for all her worries? Was her subconscious preparing her all morning for this moment? Well, Jun was sure, it didn't help. This was her secret. The little thing that Jun would keep from her daughter because her daughter didn't need a sordid past. Kimiko had Joe; she didn't need another father – least of all her biological one.

It seemed like it was the story of Jun Motomiya's life. She tasted happiness and was blinded by it. She let herself believe that nothing could go wrong, and just when she was sure nothing could disrupt it, real life came back to bite her in the ass. _Skeletons belonged in closets and should really stay there_, Jun seethed internally. She couldn't deal with this, not now. Not in front of Kimiko.

"Give me your number. We'll talk later," Jun said despondently.

"Mommy," Kimiko whispered, tugging at the hem of Jun's long skirt. "I want Daddy."

As Jun handed her phone over to Ken, he listened to the small exchange between mother and daughter. There was definitely something going on, something he wanted nothing more than to understand. He wanted to know why his niece, the flesh and blood of his brother, was calling another man her father. It was like she…

"She doesn't know."

Ken felt his heart clench painfully. The only connection that he had to his beloved brother, aside from his committed mother, didn't even know who he was, let alone that he existed. To Kimiko, he was a stranger, a stranger who apparently frightened her.

Ken watched Kimiko. He watched the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, the way she smiled. Every movement, from the turn of her head to the flick of her wrist was eloquent and graceful despite her young age. Her mannerisms through and through were that of Sam.

"She's three. She wouldn't understand," Jun whispered so only Ken could hear. "Look, I'll talk to you later. We have to go."

Ken nodded, perhaps Jun was right but if she thought that he was going to bow out of his niece's life, she was insane. Ken Ichijouji was not one to just let go, especially not of something as precious as his brother's daughter.

Kimiko skipped along only feet in front of a very forlorn looking Jun. Occasionally, the maroon haired woman would turn her head to be sure that her blast from the past was nowhere in sight. Ken just brought up some things she'd rather not remember.

The difference five, even two and half, years could make was remarkable. Nowadays, Jun revolved around the two most important things in her life: Joe, the definite love of her existence – ever caring and accepting; and Kimiko, the center of her world. But at the back of her mind was the face of another love, the only other person who had given her almost everything she could have ever dreamed. He gave her adventure, thrills, passion… _Kimi_.

England was eighteen-year-old Jun Motomiya's way of relaxing and letting go of all the drama she'd endured for ten months. It was the perfect getaway. There was no particular reason to go to the United Kingdom, she had merely spun a globe and dropped a finger. It was a stupid way of deciding her destination but she didn't care. She was Jun, slightly wild and a bit impractical.

It was one fateful day when she met him. The color of his hair caught her attention first. She let herself believe it was Joe, if she hadn't, she probably would never have approached him. But when she had excitedly ran to him and thrown herself at him in blind hope that he'd really come to see her, she found that he was not Joe, nothing like him in fact.

Sam Ichijouji was so sure of himself, but he was never arrogant. His confidence was humble and he had a smile that would make her insides squirm.

Falling for him, that was the easy part.

Letting go… it broke her.

England was a place she wanted to forget, because it had taken her Sam away. If everything had been different, if she'd never agreed to meeting with his family that day, it all might be different.

She had run home and received the shock of a lifetime when it was Joe and not her parents who picked her up from the airport. He asked no questions, he simply took her bags and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

He stayed at her parents' apartment for hours that first night. And even after that, he came over every day. He helped whenever Jun needed an extra hand with the temperamental newborn. Seeing Joe take such caution and adore something that wasn't his was unsettling for Jun. Joe wasn't supposed to be holding Sam's daughter, Kimiko wasn't supposed to fit so perfectly in Joe's arms.

Jun had thought she'd done the right thing. All along, she'd only meant for her daughter to be happy; to have a life full of happiness, not clouded by painful questions. At three, the knowledge of her father not being her father would be confusing. When she was older, Kimiko would know the truth. Jun had always planned it that way.

_You can't wait for forever. _Sam had told her that whenever she worried too much over something and was hesitant about her feelings. Maybe, even after all this time, Sam was right.

"Uncle Izzy!"

Jun snapped her head up at the sound of her daughter's voice. "What are you doing here?" Jun asked, striding up to the spot where Izzy stood with Kimiko.

"Got bored. Joe's at work, apparently Matt and Sora are planning a wedding – _stupid people_. I figured Mimi was shopping, I wanted to avoid that excursion. Tai… well, you know. And I was _not_ going to sit in your apartment all day with your brother. That is cruel and unusual punishment."

"Try living with him for sixteen years," Jun joked.

"Ouch. So are you two lovely ladies hungry?" Izzy asked, poking Kimiko's cheek lightly.

"I'm getting a migraine," Jun groaned.

"Something happen?"

Jun looked down to be met by a smiling Kimiko. "Sort of. Iz, can you take Kimi for a few hours? I need to take care of something."

"Sure," Izzy replied, picking Kimiko up from the ground and tossing her into the air. She squealed delightedly, clapped and requested another go.

"Thanks. Kimi, be good." Jun kissed her daughter's cheek and walked to her car. She needed to have a serious talk with her husband.

* * *

"You don't have to do this," Sora sighed. "I mean really, it's not your responsibility. This is _my_ wedding."

"You're my friend. I'll help you whenever the need arises."

Sora blushed and hid her face from view. She never imagined that she'd be planning her dream wedding to someone other than Matt, especially not with Matt. However, the blond was being amazingly helpful. He had a good eye for what was tacky and what matched; perhaps that was the influence of living with Mimi.

"Besides, one day I'll call on you for help with my wedding. I'll need someone to design my tuxedo."

She smiled at his comment but in the pit of her stomach, she didn't like the idea of him marrying anyone. It was selfish, but she'd let him go – despite the selfless reasons behind it. Still, it was awkward just being this close as nothing but friends.

The very last time Sora had seen Matt in person was in France, three years ago. Sayuri was nearing her first birthday and Jun had just come back from England. It was a secret get together held at Arisu's estate. It was also the weekend that Sayuri and Kimiko were christened.

It was an awkward meeting, not because they'd added two new editions to their lives, but because one was missing. It had felt somewhat empty to Sora, though she refused to say that aloud. Mimi didn't want Tai there, and Sora was not going to pressure her. Even though she did think Mimi's actions were wrong, she was determined to stand by her best friend's side.

It was late on the second day of their gathering that Matt stumbled upon Sora – alone and crying over that missing piece. He comforted her the only way he knew how. He kissed away her tears. And the kisses led to a bedroom though she was never quite sure whose. Still, her last fond memory of Matt was waking up in his arms.

Three months later, she had moved back to Odaiba and had met up with Jeremy, per Keisuke's request. They became casual friends, and then lovers. It wasn't supposed to last, not in Sora heart anyway because Matt was still firmly planted there, but it did. Jeremy's face, his voice, his smile, they pushed Matt's aside and before she'd knew it, she'd said yes to marry Jeremy Mitchell.

They'd packed up at her studio and dropped by the hotel to pick up Matt's things. Sora drove them to a neighborhood that Matt remembered all too well. "You live here? Does your mom know - "

"That we live in the same building? No."

"Wow," Matt uttered in amazement. "How is she doing? I mean I know you check up on her."

"She's… the same, worse sometimes. I keep slipping AA brochures in the mail but of course she hasn't gotten the hint."

"How's she been living? I mean, I can't imagine that she even has a job anymore." Matt gave Sora a meaningful look and she dropped her gaze. "So how long have you been paying her rent?"

"Two years," Sora replied thickly. "What money was in my dad's savings account, she's spent on booze. I couldn't let her get thrown on the streets. She's my mother." The single fact was choked out in a strangled sob.

"I know. Come here," Matt outstretched his arm and enfolded Sora into a strong one-armed hug. "I don't think I would have let that happen to my mom or the old man."

Sora buried her face into Matt chest and he felt the wetness of her tears soak into her shirt. He didn't care that this shirt had cost him one hundred and eighty dollars, or that it was original vintage from his favorite band, she needed his support. He ran hand over her hair as she gripped onto his shirt tightly. "The woman who hates me is my mother!"

Matt was getting increasingly annoyed. In a better time, he would wash away her tears; he would make it all better. He would force Toshiko to repent for the awful things she had said and done to her daughter. But he couldn't, because it was not his place to meddle in her life. Still, the way Sora cried, Matt had the sinking feeling that she had not discussed this in a long while – with anyone.

He didn't notice that they'd been making their way toward her apartment, not until they were standing in front of a white door, the name plate reading Takenouchi/Mitchell, did Matt return to rational thought.

"Come on, Sora. We're here."

He took the bags she had slung over her shoulder as she unlocked the door. Sora turned her auburn eyes to him and smiled gratefully. "Thanks. It really means a lot. Welcome home."

"Welcome home?"

Sora and Matt both looked around to see Jeremy standing in front of the elevator doors, a look displeasure on his usually smiling face.

Sora took a step away from Matt and smiled anxiously between her fiancé and her friend. "Hey, Honey. You're home early."

"Hey," Matt called over Sora's head. "I'm Matt."

"I know," Jeremy replied monotonously. "You're here for the wedding."

"Yep."

"Well, thanks for coming. Sora, we're going to be late for dinner."

Sora smacked her forehead hard and laughed the fakest laugh Matt had ever heard. "I forgot. Let me get dressed. Oh and Love, Matt's gonna stay with us for a few weeks."

Matt smiled weakly but the scowl and flicker of anger in Jeremy's green eyes did not go unnoticed by Sora as she slipped into their bedroom.

* * *

TK stepped out into the afternoon sunlight, having spent a majority of his day curled up in bed. Ken closed the passenger door to the luxury car and walked around to the other side where TK stood ready to set the alarm.

"So you're not going to ask?" TK questioned skeptically as they walked toward the bar.

"Hmm? Ask what?"

"Where I was, or why I was asleep all day."

Ken shook his head, "None of my business, bro. You're a big boy, I know you know about the birds and the bees, and that you're not Magnum sized," he added with a wink.

"Fuck you!"

"Not my scene." TK scowled at Ken's comment and the blue haired brooder smirked, "Tell me. I know you're just dying to."

TK took a long swig of his beer and peered at Ken. "Ready?"

"Sure. Why the hell not?"

"Dude, what's up with you? You're not being yourself. What's on your mind?"

Ken contemplated discussing his predicament with TK, because after all, the blond was his best friend. But he figured it could wait. He didn't want to spring such shocking knowledge on TK, especially not when the younger man was drinking. A drunken Takeru Takaishi was an emotional bitch, as Ken had come to find. He'd have to be wasted before he could have a good time.

"It's nothing, just jetlag. So what's up?"

"TK!"

TK turned his head but was engulfed in a wave of sleek red hair. "How've you been, kid?"

"Aw… when are you going to remember that you're only one year older than me, Rika?"

"When you start acting your age, punk!" Rika gave TK a tight squeeze and stepped back. "Damn, are you still growing? That's cheating"

"My game's always been better than yours, little one. But we do have to shoot some hoops so I can prove that I'm not cheater. What are you doing here? By yourself, I see."

"I'm celebrating!" Rika answered with wink. "And I'm not alone."

"What's the occasion?" Ken chimed in. TK and Rika turned to acknowledge Ken. "I'm Ken, by the way. I'd assumed TK was going to be a gracious bastard and introduce us."

"Hi. Rika. And I'm celebrating getting fired!"

"You got fired?" TK asked worriedly.

"Uh-huh. Good riddance."

"You had an easy job, you slacker," someone voiced mockingly from behind Rika.

"You would know, bitch!" Rika grabbed the arm of a lavender haired girl and pulled her to TK and Ken's table. She pecked the girl's cheek and turned to face the table, "TK, you remember my lesbian lover!"

The girl poked Rika and snorted, "You wish."

TK gave them a sideways glance and a neutral nod. If anyone knew what happened the night before, it would be this girl. The one with the biggest mouth TK had ever met. "Yolei," TK greeted.

"And this is TK's friend, Ken."

Ken looked up at the girl and smiled. She smiled back, a genuine grin that sparkled in her eyes. The warmth radiating off of her soothed Ken and he found that some of his earlier tension was suddenly released. TK watched the glance that was being exchanged between Yolei and Ken was already sure that the night was going to go from bad to worse.

"Won't you join us?" Ken asked.

"Sure!" Rika answered, pushing TK farthing into the booth and taking a seat beside him. "We have some people joining us, if that's alright."

"The more the merrier," Ken commented without looking at Rika as he made room for Yolei to sit beside him.

"Oh look! They're here!" Rika waved to someone that TK couldn't see.

He laughed at the irony when two people approached the table and stood awkwardly beside it.

Kari clutched Davis' hand tightly and swore under her breath.

"Waiter!" TK yelled over the noisy crowd. "SAKE, TEQUILA, VODKA! ANYTHING!!!"

* * *

Tai sat at his dark office riffling through the many magazines, newspapers, and online print outs that lay scattered on his desk. He found it unfathomable that he'd never noticed these things before. Sure, he knew that they both lived in New York, possibly in the same neighborhood, but never did he image that they'd live together. Or that they'd be married to each other!

He was still friends with Matt but sadly, they'd grown apart. Tai had to admit that that fact was of his own fault. He'd created a huge divide between himself and all of his friends. Tai had ostracized himself from the group. They no longer knew him, the real him, anymore. Even his own sister was a distant acquaintance. He'd admit that the only people he felt remotely close to anymore were Sora, Izzy, and his mother – all of whom pressed their company upon him.

He liked to tell himself that he ignored them for their benefit. He never really meant to hurt any of them but through one pathetic action after another, he had ruined the best things in his life.

There was a time, when he was younger, that he was all courage and no brain. He was the stupid kid who ran into things blindly because he had faith in everything. Now he a bitter, ruthless man. Determined to separate himself farther and farther from humanity because as criminal defense attorney, he needed to be heartless. The less connections he had - the better.

It probably started after his injury in college; when no one had come to see him in the hospital. No one had cared to find out what had happened to him. Kari and TK had been the only ones to come, but they had no answers as to why his "friends" weren't there. He couldn't play soccer after that, but he never told anyone why. He left them to believe that he'd quit, and why, because he felt that they quit on him.

He forgave them, somewhat; still the seed of disappointment was there. Tai just chose to overlook it.

But this! _Matt and Mimi Ishida_, the way it rolled over in his mind pissed him off. They sounded like the perfect couple. A New York power couple no doubt, with their perfect little family of three. Tai could just picture that little girl's face. A miniature Mimi, with the exception of blue eyes and blonde hair… except the little girl that he'd seen in at least five photographs was clearly a brunette. He wondered why that was but Tai was no genetics major; he'd leave that question for Izzy. His main concern about the little girl was her age. He suspected her to at least be three, meaning his former best friend wasted no time in luring Mimi into his bed, though it was most likely vice versa.

It was betrayal in the worst possible way. It made Tai's blood boil; it blinded him, and made him lose every shred of self-control.

A knock at his door sent papers flying off his desk as Tai angrily rejected them. Cody came in followed by a short woman with curly hair. "Sir, this came for you," Cody said, placing a package on the desk. "And so did this," he added, motioning disgustedly toward the woman. "I'll be leaving now."

"Miss me already, baby?"

Tai stood irritably before grabbing the woman by her hair and slamming her against the wall. "Shut up, Kira!"

* * *

**Title**: **Heavy Cross** - _Gossip_

For those who might be wondering, _Takara_ (Sayuri's middle name) is **not** a play on Takari. Takara actually means "treasure" in Japanese, or so the website I found it on says.

There will no longer be any beta on this story. I take too long and people shouldn't have to wait for me to get my shit together. But I thank PY for everything he's done (he made me a better writer even though I still tend to not pay attention and accidentally become a typo wonder), and Potgenie for lending a hand. ;) Love you, XIEXIE!

**Muchos gracias:** _Aster Selene, LuvMe4eva, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, LoneWolfVampire13, GizmoBunny, Oo-Violetmoon-oO, Hayleywilliams, Cara Miro, Cluuunie, Hood Star, Light-of-Hope-07, Jaeda star, LoveIt123, xReadItAndWeepx, aprilsdiamond, SparkleMe-x, my-little-starr, Orpheus Telos, taiora and sandstar, JamyMashima91, guavawolf, mobiles give you cancer, SugarSpiral, digilover19xoxo, MakubeDaKiddX, mutethefearr, cancercute_ (I FINALLY DID IT!!!), _BenignUser_ (lol), _cherishorty_ (Thank you so much for your review. I'm sorry I nearly broke your heart! I hope I stitched it up!), _konicawa, StillHurting.,_ and _PY687_ (He's a free beta now people, if you need the help! He's a keeper!)

Next freebee will be given out to the 150th reviewer! :D

Thank you again. I love you ALL!  
**Diane**


	7. StapleGunned

**A/n: 10/21/09**

**Lol!** Another two months. I'm not making anymore promises, I think it's obvious I can't keep them, and I'm really sorry for that. But in lighter news... UPDATE! *breathe* It's actually here! Chapter 7! ZOMG! I think I might be more excited then you readers, and yeah, that's kinda sad but truthfully, it's 5:25 AM and I've been up all night writing this. Okay, so there was some YouTube, fanfic reading, and Facebook thrown in but the point is this chapter was all written this night. I missed the meteor shower to provide you all with some light reading! :P

**Thank you** to everyone who reviewed, fav'd, alerted, whatever else... hell even those who just read. :D My hits count loves you!

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

**Disclaimer:** _PrincessJaded_ does not own Digimon.

* * *

**_Chapter 7_**  
_Staple-Gunned_

_It was in the lobby when I set my sights on you  
Should have kissed you in the elevator, but I was too scared to  
It was in the morning when I made up my mind  
I want you staple-gunned right to my side all of the time  
Do I have to spell it out for you or scream it in your face?  
Oh, the chemistry between us could destroy this place_

* * *

Joe wished there was more that he could do to remove Sam Ichijouji from Jun's mind. He'd tried. Lord, he truly had. He had wooed her, showered her in affection and gifts but regardless of his many attempts to erase a memory, there was always a constant reminder – Kimiko. There was nothing Joe could do about that factor, not that he would, he adored that little girl.

To hell what anyone said, Kimiko was _his_ daughter. He had rocked the fussy infant to sleep, he'd changed diapers, he'd made bottles, he cared for something that he really didn't need to. But she was Jun. There was no way that he couldn't accept the child.

At first, as horrible as it sounded, he resented the baby. Jun's first child should have been his. The baby shouldn't have had soft blue-gray eyes, they should have been dark gray, and yet they weren't. That was something Joe had to live with. He knew that he'd have to live with her in his life if he wanted Jun. Still it was hard to cope with until the day that Kimiko cried for no one but him for three hours. She took to him and before he knew it, he too had fallen for the tiny creature, so much so that he became overly protective and his former childhood hypochondriac tendencies resurfaced.

For an entire week, no one, not even Jun was allowed near Kimiko unless they had thoroughly scrubbed their hands, arms, and faces with anti-bacterial soaps. On certain days, face masks were even required.

Over time, the mention of Sam had diminished and it was like that person had never existed in their worlds. Save for the occasional snarky remarks made by his less than approving father or his less snide through still obvious mother. Together, Joe and Jun had gotten over the Sam hurdle and had lived peacefully until yesterday.

When Jun had showed up at his office, her expression sad and slightly panicked, his initial reaction was to sigh because she probably crashed the car again or burnt down their apartment building. Davis was staying with them after all. But as she told him about her morning, he felt a part of him turn to stone. There was really no need for the ghost of Sam to return. They had really lived with that for too long.

Jun left nothing out; not even the part where Ken had told Kimiko that he was her uncle. Joe was momentarily blinded by fury. The urge to track down this Ken Ichijouji was overwhelming but rationality told him that violence would get him nowhere and it wouldn't make much of a difference. The damage had been done. The seed of doubt was placed into the mind of their three-year-old daughter, and though she wouldn't completely understand it, Kimiko was a little too bright for their liking.

Most parents would be swooning at the idea of having a genius for a child, and while they were proud of Kimiko's amazing intellect, it made explaining things to her all the more difficult. She would not except that the stranger was just joking, nor that he was crazy.

In the end, they had decided that they should really have a talk with Ken so that the situation and his affect on their daughter could be better figured out.

* * *

"Okay, pretty boy, explain to me why I had to leave with you last night," Rika challenged as she dribbled the orange ball between her legs. "And don't give me that bullshit that you wanted to make sure I got home safely."

"Aw," TK pouted as he made to steal the ball from her, "you caught me. I'm madly in love with you, Rika. I have been since like forever and I thought last night was my chance."

"Ha!" Rika sneered, veering to the left and making a jump shot. "One up. Now start talking. I have a pretty good idea what it was all about but I want to hear it from you. Check." She bounced the ball toward him and he caught it and tossed it back. Instead of making a move to shot another basket, she held the ball between her hip and her arm. "Talk!"

"You bug, you know that, right?" TK sighed, walking past her and sitting on the metal bench. He patted the seat next to him. Rika dropped the ball at his feet, tightened her spiky pony tail and plopped down beside the younger male. TK turned to look at her and exhaled dramatically.

"Hey, I have a right to know why I was being used!" Rika commented, punching TK's arm. "Don't make me beat it out of you."

"I just, I needed to check something. And you weren't being used. Not really anyways."

"Well were you able to 'check' this 'something'?"

"Yeah," TK answered with a nod.

"And?" Rika prodded.

"I'm not sure."

"Takeru?"

"Who are you, Ri? My mother? Don't call me that, please."

"Shut up and listen to me. What happened with the three of you happened. There's nothing you can do to change that. They screwed you over, there's no denying that. Don't give me that face! I'm not stupid," Rika snapped when TK rolled his eyes and scowled at her. "They're my friends and all but I have no problem with saying that Kari's a bitch and Davis is a douche. But, at one point in time, they were your best friends. Before there was a "Takari," before there was the bromance that we liked to call D-Teeks, there were three kids who were friends and played tag on the playground. Three kids who pulled pranks on each other and their siblings just to see whose would get the maddest. Before you decide that you'll hate them for an eternity and aim to hurt them at every chance… remember that they were a significant part of your life." Rika pulled TK into a fierce hug and ruffled his hair. "I have to go, see you later."

TK sat on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees and his head hanging. He didn't want to admit it, but fuckin' Rika was right.

* * *

It was late when Izzy finally got out of his car, stepping onto the loose dirt that blanketed the cement. He wasn't sure what brought him here. Masochistic nostalgia maybe. This place was a painful memory and for more reasons than one.

The biggest reason was this was the very lot where Tai, in all his idiotic glory, had died. Phrasing it that way was a little dramatic, but it was true. His heart had stopped, no matter how hard Joe had pounded on the younger's chest, Tai's blood pumping organ had refused to beat. If Tai hadn't died and come back to life – as stupid as it sounded – Izzy would have killed him for shaving off a good ten years from the redheaded computer genius's life.

It was also here that he made a huge mistake that amounted to many pointless arguments with his family and friends. Kira.

That one name was enough to ruin his day. And this place, this was the first place he had brought her when they had started going out. The part that killed him the most was that he'd truly fallen for her. Kira, at first glance, wasn't polished nor was she beautiful, but she was cute – face wise anyway. But from the beginning of their courtship, she was sweet and kind to him. He'd never in a million years guess that she would have thrown his world into complete chaos and jeopardize everything he had ever amounted to.

Izzy supposed he fell for Kira simply because he was envious of the relationships between his friends. He too wanted to love something, to hold it close to him and make it feel special. "Fuck, I should have bouoght a cat instead."

"Talking to yourself is a signifier that you're going mad, Mr. Izumi."

"Rei, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Iz – " Izzy stopped talking and turned, mouth still agape as he took in the sight of his secretary standing beside him. He did a quick check, pinching himself and wincing at the pain, just to be sure he wasn't losing his mind and she was really there. "What… what are you doing here? How did you get here? What the hell are you doing here?"

Rei smiled and blushed, hiding her face from his view. "Gosh, this is going to make me sound like such a stalker." She fidgeted a bit before lifting her gaze to meet his. "There were a few minor changes made to the launch pattern and I assumed you'd want to know, having invested so much into the project and all. Anyway, I tried emailing you and calling your phone but then I remembered the threats made by your friend Sora about your other friend and I wondered if they had perhaps cut you off from technology. You do, after all, have a tendency to become enthralled with a computer, though I don't blame you, that is how I found you and…"

She trailed off as Izzy began to snort behind his hand, attempting to stifle his laughter. Of course he had noticed her simplistic beauty before but as she rambled on about how she found him and why, he couldn't help but notice how utterly adorable she was.

"Thank you, Rei."

He looked around the dirt lot and grinned, some bad things had happened here, but as he stared at Rei's happy yet slightly embarrassed face, he had to admit that some good things happened here too.

"Wanna get something to eat?" he offered, motioning for her to move back to her car.

"I'd really like that," she replied, a pearly smile on her face.

* * *

"Mommy," Kari called weakly as she stumbled into the living room. She wasn't sure what had woken her from her drunken slumber but she wasn't happy about it. The sun was too bright; the room was too hot, the sounds coming from the main part of the apartment were too damn loud.

She had intended to sleep the entire day to ward off the images that flashed in her head, because with renewed alcohol in her system the term "drunken recall" was an honest truth. She seen the lucid night she spent with TK, and it was amazing. Though she'd never ever tell anyone that. But it was amazing because she remembered how gentle he was as he took care of her. Not a single intimate thing happened, except if you counted the sincere kiss he left on her forehead right before she dozed off to sleep. It just aggravated her that a part of her wanted something to have happened. She wanted TK to touch her and that perverse thought impaled her.

The babble of cartoons and the most annoying laugh known to mankind caught her attention but she just assumed her mother had changed the channel then remembered something that was probably burning in the kitchen and left the television on whatever random thing it had landed on. She slumped over to the couch and tossed herself on it, not bothering to glance into the kitchen where could make out the blur of her mother's reflection in the TV screen. The cool air flowing from the conditioner above fanned over her bare shoulders and she sighed at the blissful sensation.

She had the worst hangover she'd had in recent years because she drank last night to ignore the fact that TK was paying extra attention to Rika, because TK left with Rika! Not that she should care but damn it, she did.

Her head pounded insistently and she reached out blindly for the remote. Finding it on the coffee table, Kari fumbled with the buttons before finding the biggest one and pushing it hard. The television and its erratic ramblings ceased and Kari sighed in relief. The awful sounds of a stupid sponge that lived at the bottom of an ocean – a fact that really pissed her and most of her friends off because it made no sense whatsoever – were no more.

"Hey! I was watching that!"

Kari sat up quickly, cracking her stiff neck painfully. She stared at her mother in shock then at the little girl who was sitting at the kitchen table munching on celery sticks and peanut butter. "Mom!"

"Kari," Yuuko spluttered, nearly jumping over the island that separated the kitchen the dining room/living room. "Wh-what are you doing here, Sweetie?" She walked around the table and placed herself in front of it, in front of Sayuri. "I thought you were with Davis."

"Mom… it's true?" Kari whispered. "It's true!" she repeated this time firmness in her words. "It's true and you knew all along! Why? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Sayuri," Yuuko called in a voice Kari had never heard; it was adoring and sugar coated and warm – _a grandmotherly voice_. "Why don't you take your snacks and watch TV in my room."

"Okay, Grammy," Sayuri affirmed. She stopped just short of the bedroom door to look at Kari. "It's not nice to turn the TV off without asking if anyone is watching. You made me miss the best part."

Kari gaped as Sayuri disappeared behind her parents' bedroom door. "Mom," Kari tried again.

"Sit down, Hikari." The girl sat on the couch, her blinding headache momentarily forgotten. "There are some things that have happened in the last five years that affect you and I tried to make it as simple as possible. It seems like that might have been the wrong idea but it was never my place to say anything. Mimi told me about what happened at the mall and I was honestly thinking of a way to explain this to you. But nothing sounds right and I mean you obviously already know." Yuuko's eyes watered and a lonely drop rolled down her left cheek. "Kari, you cannot tell your brother."

"Mom," Kari breathed, the single word outraged. "Don't you think he has a right to know? You're his mother! Aside from Mimi, if you knew, he should know! I don't understand how you could have kept something like this from any of us! Does Dad know?" Yuuko's eyes were cast down and Kari shook her head sadly. "I can't believe you."

"Listen to me," Yuuko said regaining herself. "I'll tell you everything. Right now, I swear to you I will, but you have to promise me that your brother and your father never find out. There are a lot of factors to this decision and I'll tell you right now, it breaks my heart to keep this from Tai but it has to be done."

Kari wrestled with the idea, mulling it over before she made up her mind. "Fine. I promise. Now I want the truth. All of it."

* * *

Sora sat at her worktable, nursing a headache and a sore throat. She couldn't believe how utterly childish Jeremy had become. It was stupid, silly, and frivolous! It did not have to turn into a massive fight. All he had to do was accept that fact that she was being a considerate friend. That was the simple truth but Jeremy chose to raise hell over it. Sora nearly lost it when Jeremy suggested that she had ulterior motives for inviting Matt to stay with them.

In the eyes of Jeremy Mitchell, Matt was a rock star who made at the very least a six-figure income. He should have been able to afford to rent a "flippin' house for that much damn money!" The night ended with Jeremy saying he was staying at the office and Sora sitting in her bed eating a rather large bowl of Ben and Jerry's. Matt had felt guilty but neither of the two who were weeks away from their nuptials would listen to his pleas of apology.

The redhead put her head down on her desk, letting the cool feeling of the wood ease her tension, that was until the door to her studio was throw open and slammed shut, coupled with an angry yell of, "Did you know!?"

"Know what?" Sora mumbled into her portfolio. "What are you even doing here? This is like the projects for you, Mr. Hotshot lawyer."

"Very funny," Tai sneered, taking a hold of Sora's shoulder and sitting her up before throwing a pile of papers in front of her. "About this!"

"_Rock star Matt Ishida comes home with his wife and daughter_," Sora read aloud from the cover of a magazine. She raised her hand to her mouth and giggled. "Ohmigod."

"You knew! That's why you're laughing! How the fuck could you not tell me about this?"

"This is funny."

"Why didn't you tell me, Sora?"

"Sora, how many of the emerald chiffon did you need?" a soft voice called from the backroom, steadily growing in volume as the speaker came to the front. "I think you said three, but I just want to be sure and-"

"Mimi."

"Tai," Mimi whispered under her breath as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that she was face to face with the boy who broke her heart and gave her the best thing ever. He was staring at her, eyeing her up and down, scrutinizing every aspect of her new, slightly fuller, figure. His gaze came to rest on her face and then her eyes. It was no longer a curious gaze that held her body in its midst. It was a straight out glare. Mimi recoiled slightly and swallowed the lump at the back of her throat in an attempt to compose herself. "Hi," she said quietly before turning back to Sora. "I'm gonna go place that order."

"Wait!" Tai called as he rushed to her side and caught her wrist when she turned.

"Yeah?" Mimi asked, anger lacing her words as she scowled at his hold. However, at the faint yet familiar sensation of his touch, Mimi shivered involuntarily. She wanted to smack herself for being such a fool.

Tai's mind was running too fast for his mouth to keep up. The urge to hold her was overpowering all sense of reason and he knew that if he didn't act quickly, irrationality would take over and he'd be fucked. So he said what he really wanted to know, pointedly leaving out the hurt that he felt. Instead, his words were angry and disgusted. "Why didn't you tell me!? Why didn't he? Did you think you could keep it a secret?!"

"What on Earth are you talking about, Kamiya?"

"You tell me, _Ishida_!" Tai sneered in response.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Mimi demanded of Sora.

"This," Sora said, offering a news print to her maid of honor. She stepped between them breaking Tai's hold on Mimi. "Apparently, Tai falls prey to tabloid nonsense."

"What the fuck do you mean nonsense?" Tai snapped at the redhead. "Explain why I've found a hundred things just like that on the damn internet."

"My life," Mimi started shakily, "is none of your business, Taichi! And I'd appreciate it if you not pry into things that are none of your concern. But I'll tell you this much, not that you deserve anything from me, but before you make yourself look like a bigger jackass than you already have. Matt and I are not married. We have a little more compassion for people we used to think of as friends. And be realistic here, Tai, if we had really gotten married, don't you think the media would have found a marriage certificate? Don't you think they'd have covered the whole thing!? Matt's in the media eye all the time. There are constantly pictures of him and other woman on the damn internet! Look up the name Stephanie Jacobs and tell me you don't see any pictures of them drinking or kissing! Hell there's probably a video of them having sex!"

Tai glared at Mimi but she was unconcerned with his expression because she had solely witnessed Sora flinch at the mention of Matt's on-again-mostly-off-currently-ex girlfriend.

"But what about the kid?!"

Mimi felt the air leave her lungs as she struggled with the biggest secret in her life. "The _kid_," Mimi bit harshly, "she is my daughter! _Mine_! And she's really none of your business. I'm leaving, Sora. I'll call you later. Excuse me!" She pushed past Tai as fast as she could and out the studio doors. Her heart beat furiously in her chest and she willed the tears back because at any second they were going to fall and when they did, she wanted to be anywhere but here, five feet away from Tai Kamiya.

Sora stood in front of her work table, hand held over her open mouth. She was trying process what just happened while holding herself back from rushing to her laptop and Googling "Stephanie Jacobs." She hissed at the pathetic need to compare the other woman in Matt's life. She back tracked her thoughts and was horrified that she'd just referred to a person whom she didn't even know as the "other woman". She wasn't even his woman!

A growl of frustration pulled her away from her reprimanding mind and she looked up at Tai, watching his brown eyes cloud with angry tears.

"What the hell are you still standing here for?!" Sora snapped. "Go after her, you idiot."

* * *

**Title**: **Staple-Gunned** by _The Spill Canvas_ (Possibly one of the best songs on the Two L's soundtrack!)

As you all know, there is no more beta and I'm human, I suck with my grammar and spelling. Feel free to point out the mistakes (**Aster** does, and I'm eternally grateful for her! XD). A special thanks to **Cara Miro** who read through a draft of this. Thanks for the tips! :D

**Thank you** (find your name, there might be a note attached - and there was one for each person but I pressed the wrong button, lost everything and got pissed off!)**:** _Aster Selene, PY687, Jelatto, cancercute, my-little-star_ (Hey!)_, LoveCherrySnow, ThatsWhatSheSaid07_ (HA! UPDATE! How much do you love me!?), _Cara Miro, taiora and sandstar, Light-of-Hope-07_ (See this is why you couldn't change your name! I wouldn't get to write it anymore!), _LoneWolfVampire13 _(ALLLLLLEXXXXX), _aprilsdiamond, Hood Star_ (TC, kinda corny but I miss you!), _Oo-Violetmoon-oO, LuvMe4eva _(Hey, sweets! How's school?!), _Paulette C_ (Thank you for reading my stories. I'm really glad you enjoyed them. Read more and don't be afraid to review!), _Orpheus Telos_ (So the musical! Give me details!), _StillHurting, guavawolf, Cherishorty_ (I'm glad your heart is in one piece! Thanks for reading and reviewing!)_, GizmoBunny, michi_ (It's okay that you can't read very often. You'll never understand how much of a soft spot I got for you in my heart! Thanks.), _Jaeda star _(Where are you!? *huggles*), _SugarSpiral_ (I love you, my BritishBestie!!!), _xReadItAndWeepx, JamyMashima91, and CHAN LEE_.

If you want a freebee, explain why you want it. I'll probably give it! :P

I missed you all, PM me or something!** Please review!**  
**-Diane**


	8. Broken Strings

**A/n: 01/26/11**

It's been over a year. I found this on my external and decided that I loved the idea too much to really throw it away. It took me an entire night of rereading to familiarize myself with the plot, the characters, and the spellings of names (jumping back and forth between a Korean fandom and a Japnese fandom is tricky). So yeah, sorry for the long wait. I doubt anyone is waiting for this anymore. It may seem a little disappointing after so long; I won't take offense if that's the response. Not really beta read because well, nothing much has changed about me.

Thank you to the people who still find this and read/fav/review/alert. It amazes me.

**Summary:** Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish

* * *

_**Chapter 8  
**__Broken Strings_

_What are we doing  
__We are turning into dust  
__Playing house in the ruins of us  
__Running back through the fire when there's nothing left to save  
__It's like chasing the very last train when it's too late  
__It tears me up  
__I try to hold on but it hurts too much  
__I try to forgive but it's not enough to make it all okay_

* * *

"You're still here," Jeremy scoffed Monday morning as he came in for a change of clothing.

Matt looked up from the kitchen table and scowled. Okay, he understood Jeremy's anger and he couldn't say it was uncalled for, his and Sora's history may have been something to worry about. That smug thought brought a smirk to the blond's lips but he looked up and smiled, a kind gesture meant to ease the older man's anger. Unfortunately, before the grin could be taken in, Jeremy had registered the smirk.

Matt sighed and gestured for Jeremy to sit in the seat beside him. "I'd like to speak with you, please."

"I'm busy," Jeremy replied tartly.

"Five minutes."

Hesitantly, the American took a seat at the table and glanced at Matt cautiously.

"Thank you. It's safe to say we started off on the wrong foot," Matt began. He sounded so utterly cliché that it bugged him. "Sora is my friend and nothing more. I know you may not see it that way and hell, if I were you I'd be pissed off too. But please understand that I came here for her wedding to _you_. I have no other reason to be here. I'd like to see Sora happy and before the," he paused, not wanting to bring up the argument he witnessed two days ago, "disagreement, I seen her face light up when your name was mentioned. Let me tell you, I haven't seen Sora that happy in a long time."

Jeremy stayed quiet as Matt inwardly groaned at the lie. He'd seen her happier. And it wasn't because of the brunet man sitting next to him.

"Well, thank you for trying to clear the air. I appreciate it. I have to be going now, if you see my fiancé today before I do, will you let her know that I'll be home for dinner."

"Sure thing, bro. Have a good day."

"Same to you."

Matt watched Jeremy walk out of the apartment and cursed into his coffee cup. He really needed to find another place to stay.

* * *

"Shit!" Mimi cursed as she stumbled down the street, trying to get her bearings and remember where she parked her car. It wouldn't really help to find the damn thing; she had left her purse at Sora's studio. She didn't even have her phone. Mimi considered walking into a store and just waiting it out until Tai would be gone.

"Hey!"

Luck hadn't been Mimi's forte in a long time. She turned, eyebrow raised and hands resting on her hips. "What?"

It was taking more courage than she had to keep the façade of an irritated woman who wanted nothing to do with the impossibly attractive man who was watching her with an unsettling eye. He was still angry, she knew him well enough to realize that much. His hands were fisted in his pockets and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. Mimi titled her head to the side, and leaned forward. "Well?"

"Why did you tell me you were coming? Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter? Why didn't…"

"Why didn't I what? I didn't have to tell you anything. What happens with me is my business. I assure you, Tai, that if you had anything to do with me or my life, you would. You're not a part of my life and that is your fau-" Mimi stopped herself before she said something stupid and eased her tense stance. "You weren't at the top of my priority list. We would have seen each other eventually. You're a busy person anyway, aren't you?"

Tai shook his head and exhaled deeply. "Why didn't you tell me you had a kid?" he repeated. He needed to know and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just because he snidely always thought she would belong to him – mind, soul, and body. The little girl in the pictures he had seen looks so much like Mimi that he was amazed. He let his mind wander a bit and saw himself with her and that little girl. That was the life he had wanted years ago. That life was out of his reach now and he'd never get it, no matter how hard he tried to turn back time.

"Because I didn't have to!" Mimi snapped. "Look, Tai… we're not even friends anymore. You and I are, if anything, just acquaintances. And really, I'd like to not be seen with you. Your best friends are mine too. I know all about the way you are now. To be perfectly honestly, playboy, I don't need people like you in my life. So, if you'll excuse me. I'll be leaving now."

"What happened to you?" Tai demanded, reaching for her. He dragged her toward him and held her face firmly between his hands. Mimi averted her gaze and took to staring at the Ferris wheel in the distance. "Look at me!" Tai commanded. "You're saying we're not friends. You're making it seem like we meant nothing to each other but we both know that's not true. That's never been true."

"And you're acting like this is some lover's reunion. Let go of me."

Tai let his hands fall away from hers when he realized she was right. He was acting as if she was still his to touch. He found himself on the verge of tears when he really stopped to see that she wasn't the Mimi he had loved so much that he let his love for her consume him. It had turned him into a bitter person. It turned him into a jackass and he knew that well. But if he was sure of anything, he knew she loved him just as much as he loved her. They both loved with everything they had and they held on until there was nothing left to grasp. Maybe Mimi had honestly given up holding on.

"Do you love me?"

Mimi's eyes widened and she stared at him as if he were crazy. "What kind of question is that?"

"Answer it."

She smiled, so serene and beautiful that it scared Tai. "No," she shook her head, still smiling. "I don't. I haven't for a very long time."

* * *

Davis followed Kari with his eyes as she fidgeted and paced across her bedroom. It made him a little uncomfortable. He wanted to know why his girlfriend was creating a worn path from end to end of the cream-colored rug. "Would you please stop?"

She shook her head and bit her lip. "I feel, I just… I'm not… I ruined… everything… and my brother…"

"Kari?"

"Davis," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I have to tell you something. A few things really."

He reclined on her bed and nodded, "Shoot."

She didn't like that he seemed so nonchalant. By now, at this point in their relationship, Davis should have known when she was upset and pinpoint why because she was his girlfriend! Snidely, the resentful part of her lamented that this sort of thing had never happen with TK. "I don't know where to begin," she started uneasily. "There's bad news and worse news and to be completely honest, I'm not sure which the bigger demon to be tackled is."

"There are demons now? Is your brother a demon, Kar?" Davis sat up and placed his elbows on his knees, casting his full attention in her direction. Start with 'I ruined' and move on from there."

If only it were that simple. If only Kari had it in her to say, 'I think I slept with TK the other night. But, don't worry, I was really drunk and I didn't mean to.' Somehow that didn't seem like the path to take. He would be livid; Davis would be absolutely crushed.

On the other hand, she wondered if telling Davis what her mother had told her would be wise. It was common knowledge that, while his intentions were always good, Davis still held Tai in high regard and would probably insist on telling Tai everything he knew. That couldn't happen. Kari swore to keep the secret because… well, Tai didn't deserve to know. There was a pang of guilt deep in her stomach when she let herself acknowledge her beloved brother's transgressions.

"Are you going to talk anytime soon? I'm kind of getting hungry. Jun's refusing to feed me and her daughter – I love that kid but she's stingy with the Cheerios."

Kari shook her head. She couldn't tell him anything. Even when she was trying to be serious, he was thinking with his stomach. "Forget it. I'll just call TK later. Let's go get some food."

Davis twitched at the mention of TK and watched Kari's back as she walked toward the door, grabbing her purse and waiting for him almost impatiently. He suddenly really wanted to know what she was going to say. Something told him it wasn't good.

* * *

If he really put time and effort into it, Ken could have been a stalker by trade. He had the creepy ability to simply exist and never be seen. He stood under a tree half a block away from the apartment building the Kidos lived in. He had managed to find out everything he could possibly need to know about Joe Kido and his family. He knew about their practice and how some accepted Kimiko more than others.

He thought very highly of Joe Kido because although not everyone agreed with his decision, he didn't think twice about raising the baby as his own. She wasn't really his, and genetically, she never would be but from what he gathered – that didn't stop Joe from acting as if she were.

Ken was honestly grateful for that. He was heartbroken when Sam died and he knew how much his brother meant to Jun. While regarded as a gift, Kimiko was just born at a bad time.

All his minor investigation had led him to this street, where he waited for Joe to leave for work so he could talk to him. He was sure that Jun had gone home to her husband and probably told him that Ken was there to take her kid or something and that wasn't the case. Not in the slightest. All Ken really wanted was the opportunity to thank Joe and to ask for both of their permission to spend time with his niece. He meant no hostility, just a fair chance to watch his brother's daughter grow up.

He checked his watch for the tenth time and was finally rewarded with the appeared of the man with the blue-black hair. Ken hadn't really thought about how he would approach Joe. Would he be well-mannered and respectful? Would he treat Joe like any other guy? Ken was running out of time as Joe stared walking in the opposite direction toward the car park.

"Joe!" Ken called, crossing the street and running to the man.

Joe turned slowly, squinting behind his glasses to decipher the identity of the mysterious man who had demanded his attention. The man who was now only feet away from him was long and thin, much like TK but with paler skin and inky black hair. He had an uneasy smile on his lips and his fingers were tugging the loops of his jeans.

"May I help you?" Joe asked warily, still eying the almost timed fighting of the man's wrist.

"Ah! Yeah! My name's Ken. I'm… um…" Ken felt utterly stupid as he struggled with the words. Rationality told him to just spit it out but it was easier said than done. He took a deep breath and steadied his stance. "Hello, my name is Ken Ichijoji. My older brother was Sam."

"Oh."

Ken nodded. "I'm sorry for interrupting you on your way to work, it's just I saw Jun yesterday and she seemed pretty flustered and Kimiko didn't even know who I was. I… I wanted to apologize if I scared them. I think I did upset my niece and that was never my intention."

"Okay," Joe said slowly, even more on edge than when he thought the man was just some crazy kid on the street.

"I wanted to know if maybe I could meet up with you, Jun, and Kimiko. We're family, sort of. And I'd appreciate the chance to really be in Kimiko's life. As long as that's okay with you two, you're her parents."

Ken listened to himself talk and recoiled at what his father would say if he heard him babbling on like a mindless retard. "So… yeah…" _Very eloquent_, he berated himself.

Joe looked around and then up toward his apartment window. "She was really worried about you being here. You know where we live, I assume. Just come by around seven. We'll have dinner."

* * *

Izzy knocked his head against the kitchen counter a few times before pulling away and glaring at his reflection in the toaster. He looked like hell and he felt like an asshole. A beautiful woman had taken a long trip to come see him and he had taken her to eat at McDonalds. And, as if his excellent taste in fine dining weren't enough, he had gone and dumped half a decade's worth of drama on her.

They had just started talking about work and then life and suddenly, he was spilling secrets about his love life, or lack thereof, and his friends and their tangled webs. He made her a confident over salted fries and vanilla milkshakes. Not once though, did they really talk about the changes in the launch. She was his secretary for goodness sake. She was a nice woman and all, but she had stalked him back to his hometown and sought him out. For someone to do that, it had to have been important.

Rei never complained though nor did she speak all that much. She just listened and Izzy found that more attractive than her nice figure and pretty face. Not many people would sit back and listen to him babble about science or chemistry. He had, at one point in the long conversation, brought up the channels that connected parallel universes and she agreed with him on most counts.

It was more the matters of the heart the Rei really contributed to the conversation. She brought to light a point of view that Izzy had really found trivial. Still, he listened to her talk about love like it was magical and about the way it made you feel for forever – not just for a few seconds before it dwindled and did like an orgasm.

Izzy rather liked watching Rei talked. She was flustered and shy but never redundant or tiresome.

"Can you please share with the class why you're abusing my sister's kitchen with you head?"

Izzy looked over his shoulder and scowled in Davis' direction. "I'm trying to be as primitive as you now leave me alone."

Jun laughed as she entered, Kimi running past her to jump at Davis' legs and demand to be carried around. "Rough night?" she asked Izzy, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She leaned on the counter beside him and waited patiently for him to talk.

"I think I might be in love, though I'm not sure. I've never been in love so I can't relate the symptoms of what I'm feeling to this."

"Should I call Meems and Sor, we can get them here in like an hour and have girl time!" Jun clapped her hands excitedly and Izzy flipped her off disdainfully. "I was kidding. But hey, if you think you're in love, then let it happen. You never know, you might like it."

* * *

"_Push!" the doctor instructed the eighteen-year-old._

"_I can't!" the brown haired girl screamed._

_The brunette's long hair was pulled into a messy bun and her bangs were matted against her forehead with sweat. Her best friend, in utter shock and slightly disgusted, held her hand; he was on the verge of tears as she squeezed. In his head, he was slightly cursing both his ex-girlfriend and the crying girl's ex-boyfriend. Neither of which were here, but in his opinion they sure as hell should be._

"_Son, you have to tell your girlfriend to push. There is too much stress on your baby," the doctor informed him._

_Matt groaned, but leaned in to her regardless of the fact that he wasn't her boyfriend nor was he the father. She laid panting and moaning in pain on the bed in her private hospital room. Her jaw clenched and she fought back the pain of another contraction. Still with every nerve burning jolt, her nails pierced his flesh._

"_Mimi," he said as he cupped her cheek and brushed away her sweaty hair. "Mimi, you need to push. The baby needs you to push."_

"_Matt! Get it out of me! Please!" she begged as her caramel eyes streamed salty tears. She seemed delirious and her gaze swiveled around the room, looking for someone. "Where is he?"_

"_He's coming. He's coming," Matt reassured, "with Sora."_

_It was a false promise. _He _wasn't coming. Nevertheless, Sora was on her way. Matt had called her, begged her to come to the hospital. He was terrified. He had spent nine months preparing for this moment but it wasn't his place and it he wasn't ready._

"_Matt!" Mimi's scream ripped through his memories of the past year._

_The door opened suddenly. Sora was immediately pushing Matt away and standing at Mimi's side. There was the bustle of chatter, the doctor and nurses reminding Mimi that she needed to keep trying. Sora asked if she could help and then a nurse was helping the redhead onto the bed where she settled herself behind her best friend. Mimi clutched Sora's hands and Sora soothed her screams, gently coaxing her to relax, breathe, and push._

_Mimi's father stood at the back of the room, close enough to see his daughter yet far enough to not intrude on the birth. He was scowling and anger laced with regret flickered in his eyes._

"_One, two, three… Push!"_

"_You're doing great, Meems," Sora assured. Mimi laughed bitterly, succumbing to another cry of pain._

"_One more push, Mimi. I can see the head," the doctor encouraged._

"_You can do it. Bring that precious gift into the world, Mi," Sora said in her nurturing, motherly voice._

"_Here we go, one… two… three…"_

_They watched as Mimi dug deep for the strength to give birth. She interlaced her fingers with Sora's; the older girl's auburn eyes danced with delight and excitement as she held her friend's hands tighter. Matt and Keisuke winced at the sound of her final scream._

_Then there was the tiniest of cries, like a kitten mewing and it gradually grew louder until it filled the room._

_Matt stared in amazement at the tiny creature in the doctor's arms. The baby was wailing as the nurse took the infant over to the side table for cleaning, vitals, measurements. Once freshened, it was wrapped in a pink and blue stripped blanket and placed in Mimi's waiting arms._

"_Mommy," the nurse laughed, "say hello to your beautiful baby girl."_

_Mimi held her arms out expectantly and the infant was placed in them. The baby was still crying but when Mimi cuddled her, nuzzling her cheek against her daughter's, the cries subsided. The young mother traced the tip of her finger over the baby's soft features. She looked like her. Mimi pulled the tiny beanie off the little girl's head and was hit with a realization that she was somehow expecting; soft and warm brown hairs peaked up at her touch. There was a soft cry and Mimi pulled the baby back to stare at her. The small face cracked one eye open and Mimi smiled._

_Dark eyes._

_Mimi suddenly remembered something. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning every face there. Sora dropped her gaze and Matt shook his head. The young mother, barely old enough to take care of herself, cried as she held her child to her chest. "Sayuri… my Sayuri."_

Mimi blinked in the darkness, trying to focus on the numbers of the digital clock. It was nearing five in the morning and she knew she still had time to sleep but she couldn't. Beside her, Sayuri was in a deep sleep, snoring softly into her stuffed dinosaur. Mimi pushed the toddler's hair from her eyes and just stared at her.

It was in a mother's nature to only see their child as perfect and Mimi was no exception. She had done this so many times in the past, simply laid there and watched the soft contours of Sayuri's face: round cheeks, a small nose, long lashes, and thin lips.

Raising the little girl hadn't been as tragic as she had imagined. They were graced with a brilliant support system and, though Mimi had refused at first, hired help. She learned from a nice woman how to breast feed, bathe, and settle her daughter when she was cranky. Matt had been dragged into the crash course and together they became like a well-oiled machine when Sayuri woke up screaming in the dead of night.

So many times, Mimi had wished it was Tai's voice telling her to stay in bed, saying that he would handle it. She would be forever grateful to her best friend but it was never his place.

Mimi wasn't sure why she was doing this; nevertheless, she grabbed her phone from the night table and flipped through for a number she had hidden as an alternate contact for Kari. It hadn't changed; she knew that from periodically, and childishly, dialing it every on occasion when she just needed to reassure herself that he was alive.

_Her name is Sayuri. Would you like to meet her? – Mimi_

She pressed the send button and set the phone to silent mode before crawling back under the covers and hugging her daughter tightly.

* * *

**Title**: **Broken Strings** by_ James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado_


End file.
